Issued on: Modified:
Our reporters returned to Bahrain, nine years after the revolt that rocked the tiny Gulf country. Today, the Bahrain Spring is just a distant memory and the monarchy responds to sporadic demonstrations with liberalism and economic development.
Advertising
It is perhaps the forgotten revolution of the Arab Spring. Bahrain is the smallest of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, wedged between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In February 2011, in the aftermath of uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, thousands of people gathered in the centre of the capital Manama. For several weeks, the Pearl roundabout became the focus of the dispute as protesters demanded more democracy and social justice. The repression was immediate and violent, as the army and police fired on the demonstrators.
Nine years on the Bahrain Spring appears just a distant memory. The monument on Pearl roundabout, symbol of the revolution, was pulled down by the authorities. King Hamad is still in power, and in the face of Read More – Source
