Bahraini Opposition Calls for Massive Pro-Democracy Rally

The opposition representing the Shiite majority is calling for democratic reforms in the Sunni-ruled country. The police have been accused of stretching counterterrorism laws to repress human rights defenders.

MANAMA, December 25 (Sputnik) — Opposition leaders in Bahrain have called on supporters of pro-democracy reforms in the Gulf kingdom to take to the streets on Thursday, a day after police stomped out protests across the state, the country's opposition media reported.

The call for a demonstration under the motto "Democracy is Our Right" comes amid months of unrest in the Sunni-ruled country.

Bahraini security forces have been grappling with the Shiite-majority population since a wave of "Arab Spring" uprisings spread from Tunisia to Egypt, Bahrain and elsewhere across the Middle East in 2011.

In its fight against Shiite protesters, who have been urging democratic reforms and other changes in how the small island country is run, Bahrain's leadership has relied heavily on other Sunni monarchies in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia.

Bahraini police have been accused by Human Rights Watch and other pressure groups of brutally clamping down on protesters, with the government in Manama using harsh counterterrorism laws to prosecute human rights defenders.

At the most recent rally, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters to break up the crowd as the opposition attempted once again to reignite anti-government uprisings, two years after the Arab Spring set events in motion.