A Bahraini protester holds an anti-regime sign during a rally in Manama. (File photo)<\/p>\n
Bahrainis have staged a fresh anti-regime demonstration near the capital, Manama, demanding the resignation of country\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s long-time prime minister.\n<\/p>\n
The protest was held along the Budaiya highway, west of Manama, on Friday following a call by Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq.\n<\/p>\n
The demonstrators also called for the release of political prisoners. There were no immediate reports of clashes between protesters and regime forces.\n<\/p>\n
“Our homeland cannot remain a hostage to a small group that controls power and wealth,” al-Wefaq said in a statement on Thursday, adding, “It is the right of the Bahraini people, including all its groups, to have a peaceful rotation of power.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bahrain’s Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, an uncle of King Hamad, has been in his post since 1971.<\/p>\n
The fresh demonstration comes despite the ongoing crackdown on anti-regime protests.\n<\/p>\n
On August 14, regime forces fired tear gas and bird shots to disperse anti-regime demonstrations in several towns near the capital.\n<\/p>\n
In July, Bahrain passed a law banning all protests in Manama.\n<\/p>\n
Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reforms and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.\n<\/p>\n
Scores have been killed, many of them under torture while in custody, and thousands more detained since the popular uprising in Bahrain began.\n<\/p>\n
Protesters say they will continue holding anti-regime demonstrations until their demand for the establishment of a democratically-elected government and an end to rights violations are met.\n<\/p>\n
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