Bahrain orders prisoner release

Redha Mohammed’s son rode on his father’s coffin in Manama

Thousands of Bahrainis are attending the funeral of a Shia protester, a day after King Hamad ordered that a number of political prisoners be freed.

The freeing of dissidents is a key demand of pro-democracy protesters who have occupied Manama’s Pearl Square for much of the week.

It comes as opposition parties called for a rally later on Tuesday – their first official backing of the protests.

Organisers say it could draw the largest crowds to date.

The pro-democracy supporters remain camped out in Pearl Square, in the city centre, refusing to enter talks with the Crown Prince until their demands are met.

Aside from the prisoner release – no details of which were given – they want the government to resign, the deaths of protesters to be investigated, and political reforms that will lead to a constitutional monarchy.

Some protesters have also called on King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah to step down.

Seven people were killed and many wounded in the past week as security forces used force to quell protests, before being ordered to withdraw on Saturday.

Mid-East unrest: Bahrain

King Hamad, 61, has been in power since 1999Population 800,000; land area 717 sq km, or 100 times smaller than Irish RepublicA population with a median age of 30.4 years, and a literacy rate of 91%Youth unemployment at 19.6%Gross national income per head: $25,420 (World Bank 2009)Country profile: Bahrain Resentment boils over Global concerns over Bahrain

Earlier today, thousands joined the funeral procession of Redha Mohammed as it wound its way through the streets of Manama while mourners chanted anti-government slogans, the AFP news agency reported.

The 20-year-old died of his wounds on Monday after he was shot by police while attending another funeral march three days earlier, his family said.

The mass rally called for Tuesday afternoon has been dubbed “the march of loyalty to martyrs,” said Ibrahim al-Sharif, a Sunni secularist opposition activist.

The marches come after pro-government Sunnis rallied in their thousands at a Manama mosque on Monday evening, pledging loyalty to the al-Khalifa royal family, and calling on protesters to answer an invitation by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad to engage in wide-ranging talks on political reform.

Bahrain is one of several Arab countries to have experienced pro-democracy demonstrations since the fall of long-time Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January. Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak was forced from power on 11 February.

The majority Shia population in Bahrain have long said they are discriminated against when it comes to housing and government jobs. They have also been calling for greater political rights from the Sunni royal family.

But the protesters have been careful to describe their revolt as non-sectarian, chanting slogans such as: “There are no Sunnis or Shias, just Bahraini unity.”

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