Bahrain Tamarod
In the following days, the government arrested three photographers, two bloggers, a lawyer and a politician, prevented human rights activists and journalists from entering the country, deported an American teacher and reportedly encircled entire areas with barbed wire.
The day of 14 August witnessed heavy deployment of security forces, which used tear gas and birdshot against hundreds to thousands of protesters who gathered in several locations throughout the country.
Beginning in February 2011, Bahrain saw sustained pro-democracy protests, centered at Pearl Roundabout in the capital of Manama, as part of the wider Arab Spring.
[6] A Reuters article described Tamarod as "a loose grouping of opposition activists who came together in early July to push for a 'free and democratic Bahrain' through mass anti-government demonstrations".
Yousif added that the main principles of the movement were peacefulness, non-exclusion and recognizing the people's right to self-determination, and called the authorities to understand their demands and refrain from using violence against protesters.
[9] 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.
[16] Zainab's father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja who is also jailed delivered a message via Mohammed al-Maskati of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights (BYSHR) in which he called for "a peaceful Tamarrod on August 14th ... under the banner of 'Right to Self determination'.
[5] The MOI has warned Bahrainis: Not to respond or react to incitement from political events and social media posts that use 'Rebellion 14 August' and encourage the overthrow of the government.
[23] Tamarod is reported to have gained popularity among the opposition since mid-July,[5] prompting the United States Embassy in Manama to eventually issue a warning for U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas in Bahrain on 14 August.
[25] Maryam al-Khawaja, the acting head of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) said nightly raids were now occurring all day long and that physical, psychological and sexual torture had continued.
[14] On 28 July, the Parliament held an extraordinary session at the request of the King,[28] Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in which they submitted 22 recommendations calling for tougher penalties against "terrorist crimes" including stripping those convicted with inciting or committing such acts from their nationality and freezing their bank accounts as well as a ban on protests in the capital, Manama.
[32] The session was held after weeks of escalations in clashes between protesters and security forces which had seen militant groups using bombs and police firing tear gas and birdshot, and the Minister of Justice said "terrorism" must be quelled before national reconciliation could begin.
[33] The anti-Shia and anti-reform underlying theme of the recommendations is a naked display of tribal family autocracy, which Al-Khalifa are determined to preserve at any cost, including tearing the society apart.
"Thirty-one Bahrainis were stripped of their citizenship back in November 2012, and there has been a de facto ban on protests in Manama since last year," he added and listed other examples of what he called "reactionary laws" already in place.
[33] On 6 August, the King issued two decrees banning all "demonstrations, sit-ins, marches and public gatherings" in Manama, and jailing and/or fining parents if their minor children (under 16) were found to take part in protests in two occasions within six months.
[37] A spokesman of the Bahraini government cited increasing violence including a policeman death and said the recommendations were "about trying to control the situation and trying to stabilze and secure people safety.
"The government has talked a lot about the need for national reconciliation but, once again, its actions in taking on a raft of stern new measures to suppress legitimate protest are undermining any prospects for successful dialogue," its regional director, Nadim Houry said.
[43] Three days after the parliamentary special session, the government escalated its crackdown, arresting a photographer, Hussain Hubail, a blogger and his lawyer, and has continued to deny visas to foreign journalists.
[46] On 9 August, Bahraini-Danish human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja was prevented from boarding a British Airways flight to Bahrain at the request of the Bahraini government.
"[38][47] The same day, an opposition activist, Mohammad Sanad al-Makina was arrested from Bahrain International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Sri Lanka with his family.
[14] The state-controlled Bahrain News Agency (BNA) also reported that the PM headed a "high level meeting" attended by high-ranking officials to talk over arrangements before protests.
[14] On 13 August, Bahrain Mirror and activists said security forces have installed barbed wire around a number of residential areas expected to witness large protests.
"[60] The Associated Press reported that barbed wire with checkpoints in between had separated Shia neighborhoods from main roads[10] and Reuters witnesses said security forces had deployed reinforcements, including armored vehicles by night.
"The authorities plan to impose a news blackout on the 14 August demonstration by jailing netizens and preventing journalists and human rights defenders from visiting Bahrain," it added.
[63] The UK-based NGO also condemned the arrest of "journalists, photographers, bloggers and others active on social media networks in recent days [as a move to silence critics]".
[70] The Associated Press reported that small protests occurred in the morning and that most businesses "appeared to be shuttered", prompting Al Wefaq to claim success for the general strike.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) witnesses reported that hundreds of protesters who gathered in several Shia villages faced police tear gas and birdshot.
[68][81] In the morning of 15 August, protesters blocked several main streets and in the afternoon they clashed with police after holding sit-ins in a number of villages, in response to a call by February 14 Youth Coalition, the Bahrain Mirror reported.
"Bahrainis and expatriates reported to work on Wednesday just like any other day, defying calls by radical opposition groups of road blockades and attack on properties," the state-run agency added.
[93] Ala'a Shehabi wrote in the Foreign Policy that the choice of Independence Day by Tamarod should be understood as an attempt to gain true full sovereignty as opposed to Stephen D. Krasner's Organized Hypocrisy (1999): "the paradox that though there is an informal understanding that states are sovereign, they can still be subject to constant intervention".
