Sunday, 08 May 2011
Bahrain king declared the state of emergency on March 15 as he struggled to quell an uprising that threatened his rule. (File photo)
Bahrain King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa has ordered an end to a state of emergency law by June 1. Emergency was imposed in March 2011 to contain sweeping protests demanding political reformthreatening his rule, the state news agency reported on Sunday.
“The state of national safety is lifted across the kingdom of Bahrain from June 1, 2011,” the agency BNA quoted the king's decree as saying. It had originally been due to expire in mid-June.
“The state of national safety is lifted across the kingdom of Bahrain from June 1, 2011,” the agency BNA quoted the king's decree as saying. It had originally been due to expire in mid-June.
The agency added that the prime minister, the army and the National Guard chiefs and ministers were tasked to implement the King Khalifa’s decree.
The King declared the state of emergency on March 15 as his government struggled to quell an uprising by the island’s Shiite Muslim majority. The Gulf Cooperation Council asked troops from Sunni-ruled neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to assist Bahrain in controlling the situation.
The presence of these troops has escalated tensions with Iran, which Bahrain accuses of manipulating its Shiite co-religionists to expand its influence.
The Saudi government said it had responded to a call for help from its neighbor as Saudi-led forces from the Gulf countries' joint Peninsula Shield Force crossed the causeway into Bahrain.
Since then, Bahrain has launched a rolling crackdown targeting those who took part in the protests. Hundreds have been arrested and dozens put on trial in special courts, while others have been fired from government jobs.
The government says it only targets those who committed crimes during the unrest. It has said about 400 people detained in the aftermath of the protests will face prosecution.
At least 29 people, all but six of them Shiites, have been killed since the protests started in February, inspired by Arab revolts against autocratic rule that toppled the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia, according to Reuters.
The six non-Shiites killed included two foreigners—an Indian and a Bangladeshi—and four policemen.
(Mustapha Ajbaili of Al Arabiya can be reached at: Mustapha.ajbaili@mbc.net)
The King declared the state of emergency on March 15 as his government struggled to quell an uprising by the island’s Shiite Muslim majority. The Gulf Cooperation Council asked troops from Sunni-ruled neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to assist Bahrain in controlling the situation.
The presence of these troops has escalated tensions with Iran, which Bahrain accuses of manipulating its Shiite co-religionists to expand its influence.
The Saudi government said it had responded to a call for help from its neighbor as Saudi-led forces from the Gulf countries' joint Peninsula Shield Force crossed the causeway into Bahrain.
Since then, Bahrain has launched a rolling crackdown targeting those who took part in the protests. Hundreds have been arrested and dozens put on trial in special courts, while others have been fired from government jobs.
The government says it only targets those who committed crimes during the unrest. It has said about 400 people detained in the aftermath of the protests will face prosecution.
At least 29 people, all but six of them Shiites, have been killed since the protests started in February, inspired by Arab revolts against autocratic rule that toppled the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia, according to Reuters.
The six non-Shiites killed included two foreigners—an Indian and a Bangladeshi—and four policemen.
(Mustapha Ajbaili of Al Arabiya can be reached at: Mustapha.ajbaili@mbc.net)
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