Protester succumbs to wounds in Bahrain

A Bahraini youth has died of the injuries he sustained during an anti-regime demonstration as protests grow in the wake of the kingdom’s hosting of a prestigious motor racing competition.

Local media said on Monday that Ali Abdulghani succumbed to his wounds in the hospital one week after he was overrun by a police vehicle in the capital, Manama.

The death of the activist came amid a series of street protests and social media campaigns against the Bahraini government’s hosting of the Formula 1 race, which the protesters said was staged to cover up the regime’s heavy-handed crackdown on the dissent.

Notable opposition figures, including Seyyed Jamil Kazim, a senior member of al-Wafaq National Islamic Society, issued a message on Abdulghani’s death, saying the youth died as a result of the government’s insistence on using security measures against political demands by the public. Kazim urged the government to heed popular calls for change.

Other Bahraini groups vowed to stage a mass funeral for Abdulghani, who was injured on March 26 during a police chase.

The Wafa Movement, which broke the news of the death of the protester, urged the people to attend the procession, planned for Tuesday.

SS