Bahrain protesters clash with riot police following youth’s funeral

March 19, 2012 Agence France Presse

DUBAI: Bahraini security forces clashed with youths Sunday after the funeral of a protester who allegedly died after inhaling tear gas fired by riot police, witnesses said.The clashes erupted in the Shiite village of Al-Muqsha, north of the capital Manama, following the funeral of Jaafar Jassem Ridha, 41.

The main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq said Ridha died after inhaling tear gas fired at a recent demonstration that was violently dispersed by riot police.

Al-Wefaq also said Sunday that another Bahraini, 27-year-old Sabri Mahfud, had died after inhaling tear gas, without elaborating on the circumstances or date of the incident.

The Interior Ministry said on Twitter that a group of people “provoked acts of violence and barricaded the streets” after Ridha’s burial, adding that necessary “lawful measures” were taken to contain the situation, without saying what these were.

The ministry also announced Sunday the opening of a probe into claims that a policeman had thrown a petrol bomb, as a video posted online appeared to show. The inquiry could lead to disciplinary measures against the suspect, a senior ministry official said in a statement.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on March 19, 2012, on page 8.