Bahrain declares three-month state of emergency

[News_Editor]

Bahrain declares three-month state of emergency

2011-03-16 00:08:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANAMA, BAHRAIN (BNO NEWS) -- Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday declared a three-month state of emergency in the country as anti-government protests continue, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

"The decision was taken in light of the latest security escalations that affected national security and posed a serious threat to the citizens' lives," the agency reported.

The decision comes after Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) troops arrived to Bahrain on Monday to help protecting the country following weeks of violent protests. Troops from the GCC Peninsula Shield Force, most of them Saudi soldiers, arrived to the troubled Persian Gulf kingdom with the main mandate of safeguarding government buildings in light of the situation the nation is currently undergoing.

Bahrain requested help from its Gulf Arab neighbors for weeks. However, GCC troops were deployed after Sunday's clashes in which police and Shia demonstrators engaged in violent confrontations. According to CNN, the clashes resulted in the hospitalization of more than 1,000 people.

One Saudi soldier, an under-sergeant, was killed in Bahrain Tuesday, a Saudi official told CNN. The cause of the death was not immediately released. Separately, a Bahraini police officer was killed in the southern city of Sitra.

On Tuesday, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Regional and GCC Affairs Hamad Al Amer accused Iran of intervening in the country's domestic affairs after an Iranian Foreign Ministry official criticized the arrival of Saudi troops as an "invasion."

"Bahrain strongly denounces and absolutely rejects the Iranian statement which is considered an intervention in its domestic affairs and a threat to regional and international peace and security," Al Amer stressed, as cited by Bahrain News Agency.

Last month, police killed seven protesters during clashes. Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shia movement, condemned the arrival of GCC troops and labeled it as a 'blatant occupation.'

The country's social unrest began after protesters called for a "Day of Rage" on February 14 to mark the 10th anniversary of the National Action Charter, which returned the country to constitutional rule after the 1990s uprisings. Initially, people took to the streets to demand reform and the introduction of a constitutional monarchy, but later they began to call for the removal of the royal family

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa family, but two-thirds of the population are Shiite. In recent years, younger Shiites have staged violent protests to complain about discrimination, unemployment and corruption.

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