The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council's Peninsula Shield Force. The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and some violent resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain. As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.
This expanded to a call to end the monarchy of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa following a deadly night raid on 17 February 2011 against protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, known locally as Bloody Thursday. Protesters in Manama camped for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which became the centre of the protests. After a month, the government of Bahrain requested troops and police aid from the Gulf Cooperation Council. On 14 March, 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, 500 troops from the United Arab Emirates and naval ships from Kuwait entered Bahrain and crushed the uprising. A day later, King Hamad declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency. Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the iconic statue at its center was demolished.
Occasional demonstrations have continued since. After the state of emergency was lifted on 1 June 2011, the opposition party, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, organized several weekly protests usually attended by tens of thousands. On 9 March 2012, over 100,000 attended and another on 31 August attracted tens of thousands. Daily smaller-scale protests and clashes continued, mostly outside Manama's business districts. By April 2012, more than 80 had died. The police response was described as a "brutal" crackdown on "peaceful and unarmed" protesters, including doctors and bloggers. The police carried out midnight house raids in Shia neighbourhoods, beatings at checkpoints and denial of medical care in a campaign of intimidation. More than 2,929 people have been arrested, and at least five died due to torture in police custody.
In early July 2013, Bahraini activists called for major rallies on 14 August under the title Bahrain Tamarod.
Naming The Bahraini uprising is also known as the 14 February uprising"The Unfinished February 14 Uprising: What Next for Bahrain?". POMED. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012. and Pearl uprising."Voices from Bahrain: Anniversary of the Uprising". Freedom House. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
Background
The roots of the uprising date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Bahrainis have protested sporadically throughout the last decades demanding social, economic and political rights. Demonstrations were present as early as the 1920s and the first municipal elections to fill half the seats on local councils was held in 1926.Jane Kinninmont (28 February 2011). "Bahrain's Re-Reform Movement". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
History
The country has been ruled by the House of Khalifa since the Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain in 1783, and was a British protectorate for most of the 20th century. In 1926, Charles Belgrave, a British national operating as an adviser to the ruler, became the de facto ruler and oversaw the transition to a "modern" state.Adam Curtis (11 May 2012). "If you take my advice – I'd repress them". BBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2012. The National Union Committee (NUC) formed in 1954 was the earliest serious challenge to the status quo. Two year after its formation, NUC leaders were imprisoned and deported by authorities.In 1965, the one-month March Intifada uprising by oil workers was crushed. The following year a new British adviser was appointed, Ian Henderson, who was known for allegedly ordering torture and assassinations in Kenya. He was tasked with heading and developing the General Directorate for State Security Investigations.
In 1971, Bahrain became an independent state, and in 1973 the country held its first parliamentary election. However, only two years after the end of British rule, the constitution was suspended and the assembly dissolved by the Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Emir at the time. Human rights deteriorated in the period between 1975 and 2001, accompanied by increased repression. The 1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt failed.
In 1992, 280 society leaders demanded the return of the parliament and constitution, which the government rejected."Routine Abuse, Routine Denial: Civil Rights and the Political Crisis in Bahrain". Human Rights Watch. UNHCR. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2012. Two years later the 1990s uprising in Bahrain began. Throughout the uprising large demonstrations and acts of violence occurred. Over forty people were killed, including several detainees whilst in police custody, and at least three policemen.
In 1999, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa succeeded his father. He successfully ended the uprising in 2001 after introducing the wide-ranging National Action Charter of Bahrain reforms, which 98.4 percent of Bahrainis voted in favour of in a nationwide referendum. The following year, Bahraini opposition "felt betrayed" after the government issued a unilateral new constitution. Despite earlier promises, the appointed Consultative Council, the upper house, of the National Assembly of Bahrain, was given more powers than the elected Council of Representatives, the lower house. The Emir became a king with wide executive authority.
Four opposition parties boycotted the 2002 parliamentary election, however in the 2006 election one of them, Al Wefaq, won a plurality."Bahrain – News Archive". Election Guide. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012. The participation in elections increased the split between opposition associations. The Haq Movement was founded and utilized street protests to seek change instead of bringing change within the parliament.
The period between 2007 and 2010 saw sporadic protests which were followed by large arrests.Summary, "Torture Redux: The Revival of Physical Coercion during Interrogations in Bahrain". Human Rights Watch. 8 February 2010. . Retrieved 19 June 2011. Since then, tensions have increased "dangerously".Michele Dunne (18 February 2011). "The Deep Roots of Bahrain's Unrest". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
Human rights The state of human rights in Bahrain was criticized in the period between 1975 and 2001. The government had committed wide range violations including systematic torture. Following reforms in 2001, human rights improved significantlyUS Department of State, Bahrain Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2001, and Working group on arbitrary detention, para 90. and were praised by Amnesty International. They allegedly began deteriorating again at the end of 2007 when torture and repression tactics were being used again. By 2010, torture had become common and Bahrain's human rights record was described as "dismal" by Human Rights Watch."World Report 2011: Bahrain". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 26 June 2012. The Shia majority have long complained of what they call systemic discrimination."Bahrain opposition calls for rally". Al Jazeera. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2012. They accuse the government of naturalizing Sunnis from neighbouring countries and gerrymandering electoral districts."What's behind Bahrain protests?". International Freedom of Expression Exchange. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
In 2006, the Al Bandar report revealed a political conspiracy by government officials in Bahrain to foment sectarian strife and marginalize the majority Shia community in the country.
Economy
Bahrain is relatively poor when compared to its oil-rich Persian Gulf neighbours; its oil has "virtually dried up" and it depends on international banking and the tourism sector. Bahrain's unemployment rate is among the highest in the region.Elizabeth Broomhall (7 July 2011). "Bahrain and Oman have highest Gulf unemployment rates". Arabian Business. Retrieved 9 July 2012. Extreme poverty does not exist in Bahrain where the average daily income is ; however, 11 percent of citizens suffer from relative poverty."Bahrain", United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
Foreign relations Bahrain hosts the United States Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the home of the US Fifth Fleet; the US Department of Defense considers the location critical to its attempts to counter Iranian military power in the region. The Saudi Arabian government and other Gulf region governments strongly support the King of Bahrain. Although government officials and media often accuse the opposition of being influenced by Iran, a government-appointed commission found no evidence supporting the claim. Iran has historically claimed Bahrain as a province,Adrian Blomfield (6 September 2011). "Bahrain hints at Iranian involvement in plot to overthrow government". The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2012. but the claim was dropped after a United Nations survey in 1970 found that most Bahraini people preferred independence over Iranian control.Kenneth Katzman (21 March 2011). "Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy". Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
Lead-up to the protests
Inspired by the successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia,"Bahrain activists in 'Day of Rage'". Al Jazeera. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012. opposition activists starting from January 2011 filled the social media websites Facebook and Twitter as well as online forums, e-mails and text messages with calls to stage major pro-democracy protests."Calls for weekend protests in Syria". Al Jazeera. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012. Bahraini youths described their plans as an appeal for Bahrainis "to take to the streets on Monday 14 February in a peaceful and orderly manner in order to rewrite the constitution and to establish a body with a full popular mandate".Stephen Zunes (2 March 2011). "America Blows It on Bahrain". Foreign Policy in Focus. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
The day had a symbolic value as it was the tenth anniversary of a referendum in favor of the National Action Charter and the ninth anniversary of the Constitution of 2002. Unregistered opposition parties such as the Haq Movement and Bahrain Freedom Movement supported the plans, while the National Democratic Action Society only announced its support for "the principle of the right of the youth to demonstrate peacefully" one day before the protests. Other opposition groups including Al Wefaq, Bahrain's main opposition party, did not explicitly call for or support protests; however its leader Ali Salman demanded political reforms.