"November 9–11 of that year. The Pearl Monument consisted of six dhow ""sails"" projecting up to the sky, which came together to hold a pearl at the top. The six sails designated the Gulf Cooperation Council's six member nations, while the pearl symbolized their united heritage and the country's famous history of pearl cultivation. At the base of the monument was a dodecagonal pool with fountain jets. The Pearl Monument is featured on the face of the Bahraini half-dinar coin, the highest value coin in Bahraini currency. The Central Bank of Bahrain reportedly asked banks to exchange their half-dinar coins"
"in the Pearl Roundabout, in which 3 policemen and 3 protesters were reportedly killed. Later, on 18 March, the government tore down Pearl Roundabout monument. After the lifting of emergency law on 1 June, several large rallies were staged by the opposition parties. Smaller-scale protests and clashes outside of the capital have continued to occur almost daily. On 9 March 2012 over 100,000 protested in what the opposition called ""the biggest march in our history"". The police response has been described as a ""brutal"" crackdown on peaceful and unarmed protestors, including doctors and bloggers. The police carried out midnight house"
"but the protests in Tunisia and Egypt are cited as the inspiration for the demonstrations. The protests were largely peaceful until a pre-dawn raid by police on 17 February to clear protestors from Pearl Roundabout in Manama, in which police killed four protesters. Following the raid, some protesters began to expand their aims to a call for the end of the monarchy. On 18 February army forces opened fire on protesters when they tried to reenter the roundabout, fatally wounding one. The following day protesters reoccupied Pearl Roundabout after the government ordered troops and police to withdraw. Subsequent days saw"
"police cleared the protesters' camp in the Pearl Roundabout, in which 3 policemen and 3 protesters were reportedly killed. Later, on 18 March, the government tore down Pearl Roundabout monument. After the lifting of emergency law on 1 June, several large rallies were staged by the opposition parties. Smaller-scale protests and clashes outside of the capital have continued to occur almost daily. On 9 March 2012, over 100,000 protested in what the opposition called ""the biggest march in our history"". The police response has been described as a ""brutal"" crackdown on peaceful and unarmed protestors, including doctors and bloggers. The"
"protesters from the Pearl Roundabout on 16 March. The first four defendants were sentenced to death, while the remaining three were sentenced to life imprisonment. According to a police statement about a crackdown on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the village of Nuwaidrat on 17 May, one protestor was injured in the head followed by the injury of nine policemen deliberately hit by a car. After one of the protesters was injured in the head, his brother got into his car and drove at full speed into the policemen. Of the nine policemen, four were injured seriously and five"
"of them. The next day another protester was killed and thousands of demonstrators occupied Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama. On 17 February, authorities launched a pre-dawn raid on protesters makeshift camp in Pearl Roundabout, which left four protesters dead and more than 300 injured. The following day, army forces stationed in the Pearl Roundabout fired live ammunition on hundreds of protesters who tried to re-occupy the site. At least 120 protesters were hurt and one was fatally wounded, bringing the number of deaths to seven. The CP offered dialogue with opposition parties. On 19 February, tens of thousands of"
"to the Royal Court in Riffa, a royal palace in Safiriyya and finally blocking roads leading to the financial district in Manama. Security forces clashed with protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets, but police were overwhelmed by protesters. The government then requested help from neighbor countries, which sent about 1,500 security forces to assist the government. A state of emergency was declared and the government launched a crackdown campaign to put down protests by force. The Pearl Roundabout, now cleared of protesters, was torn down by government and protesters found themselves pushed back into their villages. The government arrested"
"shot with a tear-gas canister at close range. Riot police also encircled demonstrators at Pearl Roundabout, the focal point of protests in Bahrain for nearly a month, firing tear gas canisters, while other protesters staged a number of marches on symbolic targets – the prime minister's office, the foreign ministry, and the state television building, among others. According to testimony collected by Physicians for Human Rights, riot police fired live shotgun ammunition into the crowd and beat protesters with batons and butts of guns. Bahrain's interior ministry said eight police were injured during the operation to disperse protesters, including removing"
"Roundabout, the army opened fire injuring dozens and fatally wounding one. Troops withdrew from the Pearl Roundabout on 19 February, and protesters reestablished their camps there. The crown prince assured protesters that they would be allowed to camp at the roundabout. Subsequent days saw large demonstrations; on 21 February, a pro-government ""Gathering of National Unity"" drew tens of thousands, whilst on 22 February the number of protesters at the Pearl Roundabout peaked at over 150,000 after more than 100,000 protesters marched there. On 25 February, a national day of mourning was announced and large anti-government marches were staged. Participants were"
"encircling Pearl Roundabout, the focal point of the protest movement, but the Ministry of Interior said they were aiming to the open the highway and asked protesters to ""remain in the [Pearl] roundabout for their safety"". Thousands of protesters clashed with police forcing them to retreat. Meanwhile, 150 government supporters stormed the University of Bahrain where about 5,000 students were staging an anti-government protest. Clashes occurred between the two groups using sharp objects and stones. Riot police intervened by firing tear gas, rubber bullets and sound bombs on opposition protesters. During the day, the General Federation of Workers Trade Unions"
"government and entered the country, which the opposition called an ""occupation"". King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared a three-month state of emergency on 15 March and asked the military to reassert its control as clashes spread across the country. On 16 March, armed soldiers and riot police cleared the protesters' camp in the Pearl Roundabout, in which 3 policemen and 3 protesters were reportedly killed. Later, on 18 March, the government tore down Pearl Roundabout monument. After the lifting of emergency law on 1 June, several large rallies were staged by the opposition parties. Smaller-scale protests and clashes outside"
"world if completed. The protests in Bahrain started on 14 February, and were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and respect for human rights; they were not intended to directly threaten the monarchy. Lingering frustration among the Shiite majority with being ruled by the Sunni government was a major root cause, but the protests in Tunisia and Egypt are cited as the inspiration for the demonstrations. The protests were largely peaceful until a pre-dawn raid by police on 17 February to clear protestors from Pearl Roundabout in Manama, in which police killed four protesters. Following the raid, some protesters"
"began to expand their aims to a call for the end of the monarchy. On 18 February army forces opened fire on protesters when they tried to reenter the roundabout, fatally wounding one. The following day protesters reoccupied Pearl Roundabout after the government ordered troops and police to withdraw. Subsequent days saw large demonstrations; on 21 February a pro-government Gathering of National Unity drew tens of thousands, whilst on 22 February the number of protestors at the Pearl Roundabout peaked at over 150,000 after more than 100,000 protesters marched there. On 14 March, Saudi-led GCC forces were requested by the"
"peaceful until a pre-dawn raid by police on 17 February to clear protestors from Pearl Roundabout in Manama, in which police killed four protesters. Following the raid, some protesters began to expand their aims to a call for the end of the monarchy. On 18 February, army forces opened fire on protesters when they tried to reenter the roundabout, fatally wounding one. The following day protesters reoccupied Pearl Roundabout after the government ordered troops and police to withdraw. Subsequent days saw large demonstrations; on 21 February a pro-government Gathering of National Unity drew tens of thousands, whilst on 22 February"
"the number of protestors at the Pearl Roundabout peaked at over 150,000 after more than 100,000 protesters marched there and were coming under fire from the Bahraini Military which killed around 20 and injured over 100 protestors. On 14 March, GCC forces (composed mainly of Saudi and UAE troops) were requested by the government and entered the country, which the opposition called an ""occupation"". King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared a three-month state of emergency on 15 March and asked the military to reassert its control as clashes spread across the country. On 16 March, armed soldiers and riot"
"Another protester was killed the same way the next day, on 15 February, when over 10,000 protesters occupied Pearl Roundabout. On 17 February, police launched a pre-dawn raid on sleeping protesters. Four protesters were killed and more than 300 were injured. Health workers and a journalist were allegedly attacked by security forces. The army was deployed after Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and checkpoints were set up. Protesters moved to Salmaniya Hospital's car parks where thousands protested against the government. The following day, army forces stationed in the Pearl Roundabout fired live ammunition on hundreds of protesters who tried"
"way. Angry protesters marched to and occupied Pearl Roundabout. By nightfall, their numbers had swelled to over 10,000. On 16 February, thousands of protesters continued to occupy Pearl Roundabout. On 17 February (later referred to as the Bloody Thursday), police launched a pre-dawn raid on sleeping protesters. Four protesters were killed and more than 300 were injured bringing the number of those killed in the events to six. Health workers and a journalist were allegedly attacked by security forces. The army was deployed following clearance of Pearl roundabout which then set up checkpoints and barriers. The Interior Ministry issued a"
"uprising there and also sent the Kuwaiti Navy to stop any aid to the protesters by sea. After the protesters were kicked from the Pearl Roundabout, many known rights activists operating in Bahrain were arrested, including Mushaima. On 22 June 2011, Mushaima was sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court for ""attempting to overthrow the monarchy"". On 30 April 2012, a Bahraini court ordered a civilian retrial of Mushaima and 20 other men convicted of leading the uprising In 2018, Mushaima's son Ali Mushaima began a hunger strike outside the Bahraini embassy in London, protesting the denial of medical"
"square Pearl Roundabout that was the center of the protests in their first weeks. A government statement said the Guard will be patrolling “strategic locations” that have been scenes of arson attacks and clashes. The court sentenced 19 activists to five years each in jail for the ""attempted murder of policemen"" during unrest which swept the Gulf state in 2011. They were found guilty of ""setting an ambush for police and attacking them with Molotov cocktails"" during demonstrations late December 2011 in the village of Nuwaidrat. Nine other defendants were acquitted. Clashes erupted again on the second day after the"
"reforms. The earliest demonstration started at 5:30 a.m. in Nuwaidrat, the last just minutes before midnight in the vicinity of Salmaniya hospital heading to the Pearl Roundabout. The largest was in Sitra island. Security forces responded to protests by firing tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades and birdshot. More than 30 protesters were injured and one was killed by birdshot. The Bahraini Ministry of Interior said a number of security forces were injured after groups of protesters attacked them. Bahrain is a tiny island in the Persian Gulf that hosts the United States Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the home of"
"protesters re-occupied Pearl Roundabout after the army was ordered to withdraw. In March, martial law was declared and Saudi troops were called in. Despite the hard crackdown and official ban, the protests continued. The divisions within the royal family of Al Khalifa came to public during the uprising. The king with his elder son and heir apparent, Salman were responding positively to U.S. pressure to compromise with the opposition, while the Khawalid brothers preferred crackdown. In February and March 2011, the CP was authorized by his father to lead ""semi-secret"" negotiations with the opposition in which he offered them ""historic"
"if they had known of the police presence then women and children would have been evacuated. The raid culminated in the destruction of the encampment, with flattened tents and protesters' belongings scattered all over the place. Security forces then declared the protest camp to be illegal and installed barbed wire around Pearl Roundabout. An hour after the attack, a number of protesters tried to return to the roundabout, which was completely controlled by police. Security forces fired a shotgun on one protester directly in the head from a few centimetres away, killing him instantly. Police claimed the protesters attacked them"
"and its immediate vicinity were congested with protesters and private vehicles. Police in the area neither engaged the demonstrators nor did they attempt to disperse them. King Hamad had ordered that members of the procession be allowed to occupy the Pearl Roundabout to express their sadness. On 17 February 2011, while demonstrators were spending the night at the Pearl Roundabout, police forces entered the location at 3:00 in an attempt to disperse protesters. The crackdown led to many injuries as well as the death of at least four civilians (See Bloody Thursday (2011)). Soon after the police crackdown on demonstrators,"
"the United States in 2004. Inspired by the regional Arab Spring, Bahrain's Shia majority started large protests against its Sunni rulers in early 2011. The government initially allowed protests following a pre-dawn raid on protesters camped in Pearl Roundabout. A month later it requested security assistance from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and declared a three-month state of emergency. The government then launched a crackdown on the opposition that included conducting thousands of arrests and systematic torture. Almost daily clashes between protesters and security forces led to dozens of deaths. Protests, sometimes staged by opposition parties, were"
"protests were ""the latest installment of a two-year long protest movement."" Protests were planned to last for three days. Left without an epicenter after the destruction of Pearl Roundabout in 2011, Tamarod announced their plans to stage peaceful protests in nine different locations, all in the streets, with the largest expected in Manama. One of the protests was planned near the U.S. embassy, a country that protest organizers had called on to use its influence to prevent government crackdown and protect demonstrations, which they said was an ""ethical responsibility"" for the U.S. ""We hope that you may convey our deep"
"of thousands participated in a march in Manama organized by Al Wefaq. The following day, tens of thousands of protesters encircled another royal palace and unlike the previous day, the protest ended peacefully. The same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was conducting a visit to the country. On 13 March, the government reacted strongly, with riot police firing tear gas canisters and tearing down protest tents in the Pearl Roundabout and using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators in the financial district, where they had been camping for over a week. Witnesses reported that riot police were"
"large demonstrations; on 21 February a pro-government Gathering of National Unity drew tens of thousands, whilst on 22 February the number of protestors at the Pearl Roundabout peaked at over 150,000 after more than 100,000 protesters marched there. On 14 March, Saudi-led GCC forces were requested by the government and entered the country, which the opposition called an ""occupation"". King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared a three-month state of emergency on 15 March and asked the military to reassert its control as clashes spread across the country. On 16 March, armed soldiers and riot police cleared the protesters' camp"
"refuge in Salmaniya Medical Complex where many of them demanded the fall of the regime. Defying the government ban on gatherings, on the evening of 18 February, hundreds of protesters marched toward the Pearl Roundabout, now under the control of the army. When protesters neared the site, the army opened fire, killing Abdulredha Buhmaid and injuring dozens of others. Troops withdrew from the Pearl Roundabout on 19 February, and protesters reestablished their camps there. The crown prince assured protesters that they would be allowed to camp at the roundabout and that he would lead a national dialogue. Protests involving up"
"and 24 September in an effort to return to the Pearl Roundabout. The protests were timed to coincide with a boycott of the 2011 Bahraini parliamentary by-elections to replace the 18 Al Wefaq members of parliament who resigned in February. On 23 September, the Coalition announced four staging areas close to the roundabout where protesters were to assemble before attempting the return at 3 pm. One of these locations was the village of Sanabis, where hundreds of protesters left their houses at 3 pm. Police fired tear gas at protesters, who ran into houses for cover. Police allegedly entered one"
"to re-occupy the site. At least 120 protesters were hurt and one was fatally wounded, bringing the number of deaths to seven. The Crown Prince offered dialogue with opposition parties. On 19 February, tens of thousands of protesters re-occupied Pearl Roundabout after the army was ordered to withdraw. On 21 February, the king canceled the Formula 1 race originally scheduled for 13 March. The ""Associated Press"" named the decision ""another victory"" for protesters who had called for its cancellation. ""We felt it was important for the country to focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting of"
"2011, the government allowed the protesters to continue a ""festival-like"" event at the Pearl Roundabout where a variety of groups came and shared their views. The Crown Prince promised to start a dialogue with the opposition following a visit to Bahrain by Robert Gates, Defense Secretary of the United States, to discuss the situation. After protesters entered the Financial Harbour, an area filled with financial exchanges and banks on 13 March 2011, the government began a violent crackdown in retaliation. A few days later, prominent opposition leader Hasan Mushaima and six other opposition activists were arrested. On 9 April 2011,"
"Nasser al-Mubarak and Nada Hafad resigned in protests against the crackdown. Hafad quit first accusing the government and state media of attempting to foment divisions within Bahraini society. A parliamentary by-election was held on 24 September 2011 to replace the 18 members of the largest political party in parliament, Al Wefaq, who had resigned in protest at governmental actions. Security forces made several arrests on the 23 and 24 September, closed Pearl Roundabout and attacked protestors in the village of Sanabis, who intended to march to the Pearl Roundabout. In 2011, the government of the United Kingdom approved the sale"
"demolished Pearl Roundabout was filled with hundreds of riot police standing next to armored personnel carriers. Tamarod spokesperson, Hussain Yousif said they will carry on with the protests despite government definite crackdown. The MoI said the heavy deployment was in order to ""[preserve] security and order, and to guarantee an easy flow of traffic"". On the same day, Bahraini authorities summoned the Lebanese ambassador in Bahrain to file a complaint against a conference held by Bahrain Rebellion Movement in Beirut. In the conference, opposition activists called for civil disobedience and mass protests, the BNA reported. A number of Bahraini opposition"