Clashes erupt at Bahrain Shiite memorial service

Manama, Feb 19 (AFP) Protesters clashed with Bahraini police today at a memorial service for a teenager killed last week in demonstrations marking the second anniversary of a Shiite-led uprising, witnesses said. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse hundreds of people who gathered in the Shiite-populated village of Daih, near Manama, to pay tribute to Hussein al-Jaziri, the witnesses said. The 16-year-old was killed in Daih on Thursday as rallies were staged on the anniversary of the start of the uprising on February 14, 2011. A policeman was also killed on the same day at Al-Sahla village, also near the capital. Protesters today called for the ouster of Bahrain's king, shouting "Down Hamad," according to the witnesses. The interior ministry, in a message posted on Twitter, said security forces dispersed "saboteurs" who had briefly blocked traffic on a road near Manama after the memorial service. Clashes broke out on Saturday at the funeral of Jaziri with police also using tear gas against mourners, witnesses had said. Jaziri died after being shot in the stomach by security forces, according to Al-Wefaq, the main Shiite opposition bloc, during Shiite-led protests against the kingdom's Sunni rulers. The police officer died after he was hit by a petrol bomb during clashes in Al-Sahla, the interior ministry said. Bahrain has seen two years of political upheaval linked to opposition demands for a real constitutional monarchy, with the unrest claiming at least 80 lives, according to international rights groups. Today's unrest came on the eve of a new round of a national dialogue between opposition groups and the government. But a Sunni group, the National Islamic Forum, said Friday it will boycott tomorrow's session to protest the "silence" of the opposition following the latest violence. (AFP) SAI 02200014 NNNN