News of Police Killing Deepens Crisis in Bahrain

Washington, D.C. – Using violence to gain political reform is wrong and is unlikely to achieve democracy in Bahrain, Human Rights First said today after reports emerged of a policeman killed in a bomb attack in Ekar last night. “News that a policeman has been killed and another seriously wounded will only deepen the human rights crisis in Bahrain,” said Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley. “We deplore these violent attacks unreservedly – this is not the way to win reform.” Although the vast majority of protestors in Bahrain remain peaceful, a pattern of violent clashes between a fringe of protestors and police has emerged in the Kingdom. “These attacks increase the polarization in an already deeply divided society and are likely to set back prospects for peaceful reform,” concluded Dooley.