(22 Feb 2011)
1. Wide of funeral of man killed during anti-government protests
2. Coffin on top of pick-up truck
3. Anti-government protestors walking by coffin, chanting in favour of martyrdom and against the government
4. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Maitham Hamoud, protester:
"Martyrdom is like a bride and that is the price we have to pay for freedom, but with God's will I hope that out of this we will gain victory."
5. Wide of men and women chanting (Arabic) "With our souls and blood we will make sacrifices for you our martyrs"
6. Women chanting and carrying banners reading (Arabic) "Martyrdom is like a bride"
7. Wide of men chanting (Arabic) "This is our oath: your blood will not be spilled in vain"
STORYLINE:
Thousand of men and women marched in the Bahraini capital Manama on Tuesday in a funeral procession to honour a man killed during anti-government protests last week.
He was the seventh victim to die in deadly clashes between soldiers and protesters that have continued for a week.
Chanting slogans against the government, participants at the funeral vowed to continue their struggle in spite of the fatalities.
As the protests continued, the embattled monarchy tried to engage demonstrators in talks aimed at easing the week-long series of clashes and marches that have deeply divided the strategic but tiny Gulf nation.
Tensions are still running high after see-saw battles that saw riot police open fire on protesters trying to reclaim the square last week.
At least eight people have been killed and hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the Arab world reached the Gulf last week.
The week-long unrest has already affected Bahrain's economy.
An international rating agency has cut the government's credit ratings because of concerns about political turmoil and the organisers of the Bahrain Grand Prix cancelled the March 13 season-opening race, the kingdom's biggest international event it has hosted annually since 2004.
Bahrain's rulers have offered talks with opposition groups to try to defuse the showdown, but the opposition appears to be in no hurry to talk with the crown prince who has been delegated by the king to lead the dialogue.
The leaders of the official Shiite opposition said they are not refusing to talk to the crown prince, but want guarantees the rulers' words will be backed by action.
The main opposition demand is the resignation of the government that is responsible for this week's bloodshed and has been led by the same prime minister - the king's uncle - for 40 years.
Other demands include abolishing the monarchy's privileges to set policies and appoint all key political posts, along with addressing longstanding claims of discrimination and abuses against Shiites, who represent about 70 percent of Bahrain's 525,000 citizens.
The Sunni leaders fear that the Shiite majority - the mainstay of the protests - could offer a foothold for Shiite powerhouse Iran.
Even though there are no obvious ties with Tehran now, Sunnis recall Shiite groups inspired by Iran's Islamic Revolution in the early 1980s and note the some Iranian hard-liners still refer to Bahrain as the Islamic Republic's "14th province."
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
