SOLYMONE BLOG: KING BAHRAIN EXPRESS CONDOLENCES ON THE PROTESTERS DEATH

KING BAHRAIN EXPRESS CONDOLENCES ON THE PROTESTERS DEATH

MANAMA, Bahrain - In a rare apology, the king of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, made a televised appearance on Tuesday to offer condolences on the protesters' deaths. He expressed his condolences for "the deaths of two of our dear sons", and said a committee would investigate the killings.

"We will ask legislators to look into this issue and suggest needed laws to resolve it," he said, adding that peaceful protests were legal.

Alkwaka, the human rights activist, said that the fresh crackdown on peaceful protesters cast a doubt on the king's pledge for investigation and calm.
"People are now asking: is this the investigation that the king promised?" she asked.
Nazea Saeed, a journalist with Radio Monte Carlo, said hundreds of people gathered at the hospital where the victims of the police attack are treated.
Speaking to Al Jazeera from the scene, she the crowd is chanting: "Down with Al-Khalifa", in reference to the country's kingdom.
"People are also chanting that the blood of the victims will not be in vein," she added.
Ruled and dominated by a Sunni minority, Bahrain has a Shia majority population. Tension between the two communities has been festering for years.
To balance the population, the government is accused of granting thousands of citizenships to Sunni workers. Saeed said this continues to be a source of deep tension.

Earlier, an Al Jazeera correspondent said pro-reform protesters initially demanded a constitutional monarchy. But as demonstrations gathered momentum, and as police crackdown on protests, many upped the ante on the kingdom, calling its ouster.
A key ally of the US in the region, Bahrain houses a major military base for Washington.