Bahraini police fire tear-gas at peaceful crowd

The incident continues a week of violent government crackdowns on protesters. On Tuesday night security forces attacked protesters in the villages of Sitra and Dair using tear-gas and rubber bullets, Press TV reported. Earlier on Monday, Bahraini forces suppressed an anti-regime demonstration in the capital, using the same set of non-lethal weaponry.

The protests against the Al Khalifa family, who have ruled Bahrain for two centuries, began in February 2011 as the Arab Spring revolutions swept across the region. Around 70 per cent of Bahrain’s population are Shiites, while the ruling family are Sunni Muslims. This fact adds sectarian divisions to the unrest.