BAHRAIN’S CAPITAL, Manama, was tense last night following nearly a week of repression by security forces which left eight dead and hundreds injured.
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters were camping at the Pearl Monument – now dubbed Pearl Square – in defiant mood after facing down riot police on Saturday afternoon. Military helicopters could be heard over the city, but it seems that the authorities have ordered the army and police to withdraw after shocking scenes of state violence in recent days failed to quell protests.
Medics at the main public hospital at Salmaniya said they were struggling to cope with the numbers suffering from gunshot wounds, some in a critical condition.
More than 200 people are being treated at the hospital, including children who suffered severe skin burns from tear gas.
Senior consultant Dr Ghassan Dhaif said: “We have never seen wounds like these. The security forces seem to be using new types of weapons because the bullets are difficult to remove.”
Dr Ghassan, who trained at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, added that several of the wounded included doctors and paramedics who were attacked by army and police while trying to help those injured on the streets.
He said that when the security forces moved in to disperse protesters at the Pearl Square on Thursday they used live rounds.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa has called for “national dialogue” in the aftermath of the violence.
But protesters and opposition parties say that they will not enter talks until the entire regime in the Persian Gulf state stands down.
A spokesman for the main opposition group, Al Wefaq, a mainly Shia party, said last night that its demands included: resignation of Bahrain’s ruling executive – some 20 of the 25 ministerial posts are held by members of the Al Khalifa royal family; establishment of an elected government; release of all political prisoners and prosecution of ministers and military personnel over the recent killings.