Bahrain government forces attack mosque in Saar village

Bahrain continues to crack down on its majority Shia Muslim population as the regime forces attacked a mosque in Saar village near the capital, Manama.

According to reports, the incident took place during a funeral procession on Tuesday after Bahraini security forces fired tear gas and deliberately targeted people inside a mosque.

Bahrain’s main opposition group, al-Wefaq, has condemned the attack, saying such moves are only part of the violence instigated by the Al Khalifa regime in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom.

Dozens of mosques have been demolished in Bahrain since the start of anti-monarchy rallies in 2011.

The Bahraini regime’s human rights record has come under scrutiny over its handling of anti-regime protests that erupted across the country in early 2011.

Bahraini people demanded political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Manama also called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others arrested in the clampdown.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International censured Bahrain’s “relentless repression” of anti-regime protesters, saying the regime’s security forces “repeatedly” use “excessive force to quash anti-government protests.”

On February 14, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also called on the Manama regime to respect its “international human rights obligations” in dealing with peaceful protests in the country.