Bahraini armed forces continued to battle protestors, firing on activists with tear gas and rubber\u00a0bullets, as well as specifically targeting protest leaders, opposition leaders said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the opposition party, Wefaq, was injured when he was hit by a teargas\u00a0canister during clashes with riot police. Salman said this was the first time the leaders were\u00a0intentionally targeted. He vowed that his party will not stop fighting for democracy and human rights, in\u00a0the face of state repression.
\nGovernment forces are struggling to quell protests led by the marginalised Shiite majority in the\u00a0Bahraini capital.\u00a0Salman showed red welts he sustained during the clash to reporters, but was otherwise uninjured. Salman\u00a0told press that he was hit in the back and shoulder by either a teargas canister or a stun grenade as he\u00a0led a group of 40 protesters to a march in the outskirts of the capitol.
\nAnother senior opposition leader, Hassan Al Marzooq, was also injured in the clashes and had to be taken\u00a0to a hospital after being hit in the head with a rubber pellet. He remains in intensive care unit\u00a0following surgery.
\nProtesters described the clashes as \u201can attempt to suppress the will of the Bahraini people to demand\u00a0reform and democracy\u201d.
\nThe Bahraini government issued a statement saying the rally was illegal and violence was only used when\u00a0protesters refused to leave, after police used \u201clegal methods to disperse the crowd.\u201d
\nThis incident is the most recent in a series of escalating clashes in recent weeks between the parties.\u00a0In the past the Wefaq Party committed to only participating in government- approved peaceful rallies.\u00a0However, they were unable to get approval last weekend for the march on Friday and chose to gather\u00a0anyway.
\nClashes have been ongoing since February 2011 led by the kingdom\u2019s Shia majority. But the Saudi-backed\u00a0Sunni government has been responding to these calls with force even resorting to using teargas, rubber\u00a0bullets and arrests to quell more protests.
\nThe march was destined for a historic Shia mosque but was halted after several hours of clashes.\u00a0Salman had previously warned the government of more popular resistance if demands for democracy were\u00a0further disregarded.\u00a0The rally was not approved because it would have disrupted traffic, said the police.\u00a0Security forces closed off the roads leading to the clashes but protesters responded by lighting fires\u00a0alongside the road.\u00a0\u201cSecurity forces have been careful in dealing professionally with political leaders but this time was
\ndifferent. It seems a gradual crackdown is going on,\u201d senior Wefaq party member Matar Matar told Reuters.\u00a0\u201cThey are closing the small margin for freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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