Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has been the ruler of Bahrain since 1999. Originally the Emir, he declared himself King in 2002. After receiving his basic education in Bahrain, he obtained his higher education at universities in Britain and the United States. Upon his ascension to the throne, he made sweeping reforms, freeing the nation's political prisoners, liberalizing its laws, and permitting the return of many exiles.
King Hamad is the Sunni ruler of a largely Shiite nation; the country sees periodic sectarian strife. During the Arab Spring, Bahrainis occupied the Pearl Roundabout in downtown Manama to protest for more equal political representation. The government accused Iran of provoking the protests, but the evidence does not agree. In contrast to other nations in the region, the protests in Bahrain did not last long before state security forcibly ended them, leading to accusations of brutality and human rights abuses.
For more information, see http://bbc.in/qacD5j and http://nyti.ms/libRVy.
No comments:
Post a Comment