Peaceful Protests Held in Bahrain ahead of Formula 1 Race
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Bahraini people once again poured into streets in various regions of the Persian Gulf country on Saturday, a day before the start of Formula One Championship race, to voice their outrage at the Manama regime’s human rights violations and crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.
During the protests, held in A'ali and Karzakan near the venue of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the demonstrators chanted anti-regime slogans.
They also carried placards saying that the Bahraini authorities are holding the race to cover up their human rights violations over the past five years since the popular uprising in 2011.
According to reports recently published by human rights groups monitoring Bahrain, the Al Khalifa regime forces have arrested 50 dissidents in the past two weeks.
Rights activists also say that the Formula One event is used as a political tool by Manama to make the world believe that the situation in the country is normal.
Bahrain, a close ally of the US in the Persian Gulf region, has been witnessing almost daily protests against the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty since early 2011, with Manama using heavy-handed measures in an attempt to crush the demonstrations.
Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.
