Authorities in Bahrain said Friday they have launched investigations into the death of a teenager and a policeman during violent protests marking the second anniversary of the failed pro-democracy uprising against the rule of the country's Sunni royal family.
Chief of Public Prosecution and the Head of the Investigation Unit, Nawaf Abdullah Hamza, was quoted as saying by the official BNA news agency that separate investigations into the two deaths were progressing side by side.
Police chief Tariq Hassan al-Hassan said on Thursday evening that the deceased police officer, Mohammed Asif, died after being fatally injured by a projectile thrown by protesters while he and fellow officers securing roads.
Earlier on Thursday, Hussain al-Jaziri, a 16-year-old protester, was killed after he was reportedly shot by police in the stomach during a protest in Al-Daih, a village west of the Gulf State's capital Manama.
Media reports indicate that clashes between protesters and security forces were continuing across the tiny Gulf island state on Friday, casting doubts on the success of the recently launched national dialogue for ending the crisis.
Shiite-led pro-democracy protests had broken out in Bahrain in February 2011 as a fallout of the 'Arab Spring' that saw the toppling of entrenched rulers in North Africa and the Middle East. Bahraini government suppressed the unrest. Some 35 protesters were killed in the crackdown and many of the detained opposition activists were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Nevertheless, the tiny island nation continues to witness frequent protests staged by the opposition and the Shiite majority, who have long been complaining about discrimination. They are demanding greater political rights and want the Sunni monarchy to hand over most of its powers to an elected Parliament.
More than 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since February 2011. Notably, developments in the strategic island nation is of particular concern to Washington as the oil-rich Kingdom is home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
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