In 1998, Bahrain was a small island nation located in the Persian Gulf. It had gained independence from Great Britain in 1971 and was now a constitutional monarchy with a population of around 600,000 people. The economy was largely based on oil, banking and finance, with the country also recognized as an important hub for international trade. Despite this economic success, Bahrain was facing several significant challenges in 1998. Inflation had risen sharply due to a collapse in the value of its currency, leading to an ongoing financial crisis that had caused considerable hardship for many citizens. In addition, poverty and unemployment were high, with around one-fifth of the population living below the poverty line. The government had recently implemented several reforms to improve access to healthcare and education while also taking steps to diversify its economy away from its reliance on oil and banking. There were also efforts being made to tackle corruption and reduce poverty levels throughout the country. In addition, Bahrain was becoming increasingly engaged with international affairs; it had recently joined the Arab League and signed various treaties with neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It was also beginning to increase its presence on the world stage by joining various international organizations such as OPEC and the World Bank. See dentistrymyth for Bahrain in the year of 2015.
Yearbook 1998
Bahrain. In March, Bahrain was visited by Iran’s former president Ali Akbar Rafsanjani. He met the Emir, Isa ibn Salman al-Khalifa, and they both discussed opportunities for improved cooperation. According to Countryaah, the capital of Bahrain is Manama. Bahrain is one of the states south of the Persian Gulf that has accused Iran of supporting Islamist-oriented terrorism.
In September, the US human rights organization Human Rights Watch/Middle East called on Bahrain’s leadership to appoint an independent commission to investigate charges of torture in prisons and prisons.
2011 Rebellion against the king
In February 2011, Danish Queen Margrethe visited the King of Bahrain and equipped him with the second most important Danish order, the Great Cross. Outside the air-conditioned reception rooms, the king mowed down his subjects. Spurred by the popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, both of which led to the fall of the dictators, the people of Bahrain threw themselves into the struggle for democracy and the abolition of the monarchy. While Tahrir Square in Cairo became the focal point of the rebellion against Mubarak, the Pearl Square of Manama became the focal point of the rebellion against King Isa Al-Khalifah. The protests took off especially after Mubarak was toppled in Egypt on February 11. But in Bahrain, security forces were pushing hard against the demonstrators, who were met with tear gas and rubber bullets, and within a few days, the first protesters were killed. The 14th. February attack security forces are funeral procession, killing 1 and wounding 25. Now no longer used rubber bullets, but sharp shots. On the 15th the protesters occupied the Pearl Square, but on the 17th at. At 3 in the morning, the security forces attacked the square and cleared it. 231 were injured and 4 killed – including a 2-year-old girl. The repression continued the day after 1 was killed and 66 injured. Security forces shot at ambulances transporting wounded to hospitals.
- Abbreviationfinder: What does BHR stand for in geography? Here, this 3 letter acronym refers to the country of Bahrain.
On March 22 there was a Martyr march in Manama involving over 100,000 people – 10% of the population. The demonstration train was 3 km long. The king tried to cool the mutineers by promising the release of 308 political prisoners. But the protests continued. On March 14, 4,000 Saudi soldiers invaded the country to stave off the faltering monarchy. They arrived in 150 armored crew wagons. On the 15th, the king put the country into a 3-month state of emergency, and the following day the military and Saudi troops were deployed against the demonstrators at Pearl Square. Tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters were deployed, 6 demonstrators were killed and hundreds more wounded. The Western media turned a blind eye to the rising death toll in Bahrain and focused solely on Gadaffi’s assault in Libya. The United States and the EU, together with the fundamentalist regime in Saudi Arabia, firmly supported King Al-Khalifah.
After the escape of Pearl Square, doctors at the city’s hospitals were able to tell how soldiers and security forces had searched the hospitals for the wounded and had shot wounded in the hospital corridors. On the 18th the regime demolished the monument at Pearl Square. The square and monument had become a symbol of the struggle for democracy and freedom, and it was therefore an important step for the regime to remove it. On the same day, 18 MPs who had resigned from their seats in Parliament called on the UN to intervene against the regime. In vain. Instead, the Saudi soldiers and Bahrain’s own security forces launched an intensive hunt for suspected oppositionists. Nocturnal house raids and raids were conducted and thousands were arrested.
On March 25, the Wefaq and February 14 youth movement were named “Day of Wrath”. There were demonstrations from 9 locations in the country, but the demonstrations were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets. Several were killed.
On April 3, the regime closed the opposition newspaper, Alwasat, and on April 5, Doctors for Human Rights announced that a number of doctors from the Salmaniya hospital complex in Manama had disappeared. These reports were confirmed by Doctors Without Borders two days later, which could add that the regime routinely abducted wounded protesters from the hospitals.
