Bahrain, January 26: A Bahraini police car runs over a protester in the town of Sitra south of the capital Manama, bringing the number of the opposition activists murdered at the hands of the regime over the past 24 hours to four.
The victim, identified as Muhammad Ali Ya’qhoub, died from the incident on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Saudi-backed Bahraini forcers tortured a protester to death. Saeed Fakher’s body, which bore horrific signs of torture, was found one day after his arrest.
On Tuesday, two other protesters died due to teargas inhalation during an anti-regime rally outside Manama.
The Bahraini revolution began in mid-February 2011, when the sheikhdom’s public, inspired by the popular revolutions that had toppled the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt, started holding massive peaceful protests.
The Bahraini government promptly launched a brutal crackdown on the rallies and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states to assist the suppression campaign.
Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown and the security forces have arrested hundreds, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries.
A report published by an independent committee in November, 2011 found that the ruling Al Khalifa regime had used excessive force against the protesters and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and demonstrators.
—Agencies