Bahrain detains Palestinian, US observers at protest

Bahraini police detained two US rights activists at a protest in the capital city on Saturday, after firing tear gas and stun grenades to block protesters reaching the roundabout at the center of a crushed pro-democracy uprising. Riot police seized Palestinian Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath, both US citizens, who are part of a team of activists calling themselves Witness Bahrain. Arraf was dragged away by security forces while sitting on the ground, a statement from the group said. The monitors say they want to observe events on the eve of the first anniversary of protests led mainly by the Shiite majority for democratic reforms in the Gulf Arab state. An official told Reuters they would be deported for giving false information about the nature of their visit on entering Bahrain. Arraf has spearheaded international solidarity groups in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the international flotillas that sought to break Israel's siege on Gaza. Sainath is a Los-Angeles based human rights lawyer and and has joined fact-finding missions to the Gaza Strip. Crushed revolution Groups of several hundred activists gathered at different points around Manama's old market district on Saturday, in an apparent effort to evade riot police, before suddenly marching towards the roundabout, now renamed al-Farouq Junction. "To the roundabout, to the roundabout," chanted protesters, led by prominent rights activist Nabil Rajab. Behind them, police using megaphones warned the crowd that the march was unauthorised and they should disperse. Police then fired teargas and stun grenades at the march. Some rights activists were denied entry to Bahrain last month. Demonstrations, sometimes organized by leading Shiite opposition party Wefaq with government approval, have grown in number and frequency as the Feb. 14 anniversary of the uprising approaches. Youth protesters in Shiite villages have also clashed with security forces, throwing petrol bombs and iron bars and blocking roads with burning tires. Activists say at least two people have died in police custody in the past month and others have died from apparent effects of teargas, taking the total dead since Feb. 14, 2011 to over 60. The government disputes the causes of death. Bahrain's Sunni rulers have given parliament some more powers of scrutiny over ministers and budgets, but are resisting opposition demands that the elected parliament be given the power to approve cabinet appointments. Bahraini forces have crushed the protest movement, with help from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, but escaped heavy censure from the United States, which shares Saudi fears that empowering Shiites in Bahrain would expand Shiite Iran's influence in the Gulf. The US Fifth Fleet is based in the island kingdom.