Timeline Bahrain
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Bahrain is made up of one large island linked to
Saudi
Arabia by a
13-mile causeway, plus several smaller islands. Its capital is
Manama.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)(Econ, 9/11/10, p.58)
An early archeological find in Bahrain is a letter of credit carved
in
stone.
(WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)
2.2k BC In what is now Bahrain
settlements and temples of the city state of Dilmun, known as the
city of the gods in ancient Sumerian literature, were found by
Danish archaeologists in the 1950s. A culture contemporary with the
city state of Dilmun (now Bahrain) was found in 1959 on the island
of Umm-an-Nar off of Abu Dhabi.
(AM, May/Jun 97 p.48)
355BC-323BC The use of coins in
Bahrain can be traced back to the days of Alexander the Great
according to a history published by the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
(WSJ, 4/5/96, p.A-4)
1932 May 31, Socal, formerly
Standard Oil of California, discovered oil in Bahrain. This was the
1st middle eastern oil discovered by an American firm.
(SFC, 10/20/04,
p.C6)(www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199901/prelude.to.discovery.htm)
1939 The first Catholic church
in the Gulf was opened in Bahrain's capital, Manama.
(AP, 3/14/08)
1943 Two American oil firms
decided to expand their refinery in Bahrain and hired Bechtel.
Capacity was doubled to 65,000 barrels per day.
(SSFC, 5/4/03, p.A8)
1961 Sheik Isa ibn Salman
Khalifa became emir upon the death of his father, Sulman.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)
1970 Iran dropped its
territorial claims on Bahrain.
(Econ, 9/11/10, p.58)
1971 Aug 15, Bahrain proclaimed
independence after 110 years of British rule. December 16, 1971, is
the date of independence from British protection.
(http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)
1971 Dec 16, Bahrain, which had
declared independence on Aug 15, won independence from British
protection.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP,
12/17/02)(http://ixpats.com/bahrain.html)
1973 Oct 16, OPEC, the Arab
oil-producing nations, announced they would begin cutting back on
oil exports to Western nations and Japan. The next day, the five
Arab members of the OPEC committee were joined in Kuwait by the oil
ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The result
was a total embargo that lasted until March 1974 and caused oil
prices to quadruple.
(www.harvardir.org/articles/1659/)(AP,
10/17/97)(WSJ, 7/28/03, p.A8)
1973 A new constitution
established a Bahrain national assembly.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)
1975 The Bahrain national
assembly was dissolved.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)
1977 Nov 21, The 1st commercial
flight of the Anglo-French Concorde jet was from London to Bahrain.
(www.britishairways.com/concorde/faq.html#4)
1978 May, The Bahrain Telephone
Company began operating a commercial cellular telephone system. It
probably marks the first time in the world that individuals started
using what we think of as traditional, mobile cellular radio.
(http://tinyurl.com/36e848)
1981 May 25, Sheik Zayed bin
Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), United Arab Emirates President, urged
in 5 other Arab monarchies (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia) to form the Gulf Cooperation Council. The unified economic
agreement between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council was
signed on 11 November 1981 in Riyadh.
(Econ, 11/20/04,
p.90)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council)
1984 Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, UAR)
agreed on the creation of a two-brigade (10,000 troops) Peninsula
Shield Force, based in Saudi Arabia near the Kuwaiti and Iraqi
borders.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Shield)
1994 Dec 17, In Bahrain
Hani al-Wasti (25) and Hani Khamees (26) were the first of more than
40 people killed in the political upheaval among the Shiites.
(AP, 12/17/02)
1995 The Bahrain parliament was
dissolved by the ruling al-Khalifa family.
(WSJ, 1/3/96, p.A-12)
1995 Bahrain stored 18 US
jets.
(WSJ, 10/24/95, p.A-1)
1995 Bahrain became the
headquarters for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
(www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/bahrain.htm)
1996 Jan, Bahrain’s ruling
al-Khalifa family, followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, put down
new protests by dissidents of the Shiite branch.
(WSJ, 1/3/96, p.A-12)
1996 Jan, Bahrain Opposition
leaders claim that 2,000 people were arrested by government
authorities after protesting for the restoration of the parliament.
(WSJ, 1/25/96, A-1)
1996 Feb, A Bahrain luxury
hotel was bombed and 4 people were injured. An Islamic group claimed
responsibility.
(WSJ, 2/12/96, p.A-1)
1996 Mar 27, A dissident was
executed in Bahrain for murdering a police officer. It was the first
execution in 20 years and set off street battles and arrests.
(WSJ, 3/27/96, p.A-1)
1996 Jun 3, The Bahrain
government said that 29 militants confessed last month to be trained
by Iran to topple the ruling Al Khalifa family and install a Shiite
Muslim government.
(SFC, 6/4/96, p.A11)
1996 Jun 10, Iran offered to
mediate between Bahrain and its Shiite opposition and denied any
involvement in the recent plot to topple the government.
(SFC, 6/11/96, p.A16)
1996 Aug 22, A new
environmental anti-pollution laws went into effect in Bahrain.
(SFC, 8/22/96, p.E3)
1996 Sep 15, Defense Secretary
William Perry was making the rounds among American allies in the
Persian Gulf region, seeking additional support for the U.S. stance
against Iraq. Bahrain agreed to play host to 26 American F-16 jet
fighters.
(AP, 9/15/97)
1998 Jun 13, It was reported
that the Old World Screwworm had broken out in Iraq, Kuwait and
Bahrain. 19 people were reported infected by the disease in which
carnivorous larvae hatch from eggs laid in broken skin.
(SFC, 6/13/98, p.A7)
1999 Mar 6, The emir of
Bahrain, Sheik Issa bin Salman Al Khalifa (65), a key Western ally
who had ruled for nearly four decades, died shortly after a meeting
with Defense Secretary William Cohen. He was succeeded by his eldest
son, Crown Prince Hamed ibn Issa Khalifa (49). King Hamed al-Khalifa
soon ended a 25-year-long state of emergency.
(SFEC, 3/7/99, p.D8)(AP, 3/6/00)(WSJ, 10/25/01,
p.A1)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)
1999 Jul 7, The top Bahrain
dissident, Sheik Abdul-Ameer al-Jamri, was sentenced to 10 years in
prison and fined $15 million after he was convicted of spying and
inciting unrest. He was freed the next day with an amnesty.
(WSJ, 7/8/99, p.A1)(WSJ, 7/9/99, p.A1)
1999 Fall, Princess Meriam Al
Khalifia (19) of Bahrain eloped with US Marine Pfc. Jason Johnson
(25). Johnson smuggled her into the US. In 2000 she faced
deportation by the US State Dept.
(SFC, 7/22/00, p.A20)(SFC, 7/25/00, p.A5)
2000 Aug 23, In Bahrain a Gulf
Air Airbus A320 crashed on approach to Manama and all 143 people
aboard were killed including 36 children.
(SFC, 8/24/00, p.A1)
2000 Dec 24, It was reported
that Bahrain’s emir, Sheikh Hamad, would allow a vote on a new
national charter that would make the country a constitutional
monarchy.
(SFC, 12/25/00, p.B2)
2000 Dec 31, Six Persian Gulf
nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates) signed a regional defense pact.
(SFC, 1/1/01, p.A10)
2000 Bahrain’s Sheikh Hamad
emptied the jails of political dissidents, abolished draconian
security laws, promised to hold free municipal elections in 2002 and
elections for a new parliament in 2003.
(WSJ, 10/25/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 23, The 6-member
Persian “Gulf Cooperation Council” met in Jidda and pledged support
for an int’l. coalition against terrorism.
(SFC, 9/24/01, p.A7)
2002 Feb 14, Bahrain’s Sheikh
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared himself king and approved plans
for a constitutional monarchy. Parliamentary elections were
scheduled for October and municipal elections in May. Women were to
be allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the 1st time.
Foreigners would be allowed to vote under certain conditions.
(SFC, 2/15/02, p.A10)(WSJ, 2/15/02, p.A14)
2002 May 9, Voters cast ballots
in elections for 50 municipal seats. Bahraini women were allowed to
vote and run for office for the 1st time, though none were elected.
(SFC, 5/10/02, p.A20)
2002 Sep 14, In Lackawanna, New
York, 5 men of Yemeni descent were charged with supporting foreign
terrorist organizations. They reportedly were schooled in the tools
of terror, including the use of suicide as a weapon, in camps run by
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. A 6th member of the cell was
arrested in Bahrain.
(AP, 9/15/02)(SFC, 9/17/02, p.A12)
2002 Oct 24, Bahrain held its
first legislative elections in nearly 30 years. Results showed a mix
of secularist and Islamic candidates winning seats, with two women
securing places in run-off polls. The Shia opposition boycotted the
election and this led to a heavily Sunni-dominated parliament.
(AP, 10/25/02)(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)
2002 Nov 1, In Bahrain Islamic
and secular candidates won run-off votes for seats in the
parliament, according to final results. 2 women lost in run-off
races.
(AP, 11/1/02)
2002 Dec 14, Sheik Hamad bin
Isa Al Khalifa, king of Bahrain, inaugurated the first parliament in
nearly 30 years.
(AP, 12/14/02)
2002 The Bahrain constitution
decreed by Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa kept half the
legislature’s seats for his appointees and hobbled its power to
initiate laws or question officials.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)
2002 A Singapore company,
Events HQ Int’l., set up a summer festival in Bahrain that featured
a Russian Buran space shuttle.
(WSJ, 4/11/05, p.A18)
2003 Oct 2, In Bahrain
assailants hurled gasoline bombs at a busload of police officers,
wounding five of them.
(AP, 10/3/03)
2004 Jul 5, US military
families planned to leave Bahrain in the next few days following
reports terrorists were planning attacks here.
(AP, 7/5/04)
2004 Aug 23, Electricity went
out across Bahrain, snarling rush hour traffic and leaving residents
without air conditioning as temperatures climbed toward 130
Fahrenheit.
(AP, 8/23/04)
2004 Bahrain’s population was
about 675,000. 70% were Shia under a Sunni royal family.
(Econ, 7/31/04, p.41)(Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)
2005 May 6, In Bahrain about
5,000 citizens jammed a main road in the capital, waving red and
white Bahraini flags in the 2nd rally for constitutional reforms in
a month.
(AP, 5/7/05)
2005 Nov 5, Three Bahraini men
returned home after being released from the US military detention
facility at Guantanamo Bay. Bahraini authorities vowed to keep
pressing Washington to free three remaining detainees.
(AP, 11/5/05)
2005 Nov 12, In Bahrain a
US-backed Mideast democracy and development summit ended in rancor
despite adoption of two initiatives that are part of President
Bush's push to expand political freedom in a region dominated by
monarchies and effective single-party rule.
(AP, 11/12/05)
2006 Jan 12, In Bahrain an
official said Prince Faisal (15), the sixth son of the king, Sheik
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was killed in an accident while driving a
car.
(AP, 1/12/06)
2006 Mar 10, In Bahrain riot
police clashed with demonstrators burning tires and garbage at a
suburban shopping center in Manama, and at least 11 people were
wounded. The demonstration began as a peaceful protest by about 175
people who were demanding the release of 20 supporters of a cleric
who have been detained since Dec 24. The government did not want
demonstrations while the tiny island state hosted thousands of
foreigners who had come for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Mar 12.
(AP, 3/10/06)
2006 Mar 30, A cruise boat
carrying some 130 people capsized in calm Gulf waters only a few
hundred yards off the Bahrain coast. 58 people were killed. In 2007
the owner of a dinner cruise boat was convicted of involuntary
manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
(SFC, 3/31/06, p.A11)(AP, 4/2/07)(AP, 5/24/07)
2006 Jun 8, Sheikha Haya Rashed
Al Khalifa, a pioneering lawyer and women's rights advocate from
Bahrain, was elected UN General Assembly president, the first woman
from the Middle East to take the post.
(AP, 6/8/06)
2006 Jul 30, In Bahrain 16
Indian workers died when a fire broke out in the building where they
lived in the capital Manama. The six-storey building housed some 300
workers, mostly Indians, working for a contracting company.
(AFP, 7/30/06)
2006 Oct 15, Salah Abdulrahim
al Blooshi, a former detainee in the US prison at Guantanamo Bay,
returned home to Bahrain after being held for five years. Two other
Bahrain nationals remain in custody at Guantanamo Bay, where the US
holds about 450 men on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the
Taliban.
(AP, 10/15/06)
2006 Oct 17, Bahrain said
Lateefa al-Geood, a British-educated civil servant, has become the
first-ever female to serve as an elected member of the parliament.
18 women were among 221 candidates vying for seats in the 40-member
assembly in the Nov. 25 vote. Al-Geood was the only candidate who
registered to run in her region.
(AP, 10/17/06)
2006 Nov 25, Bahrain, an island
nation of 700,000 citizens, held elections. More than 200 candidates
vied for the National Assembly's 40-seat lower house. 40 members of
the upper chamber are appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,
who can veto parliamentary legislation. Shiites and opposition
members say the system preserves Sunni dominance.
(AP, 11/25/06)
2006 Nov 26, In Bahrain
preliminary results showed Islamist candidates victorious in
parliamentary elections, splitting the vote between hardline Shiite
and Sunni Muslims while female and liberal candidates fared poorly
in the US-allied kingdom.
(AP, 11/26/06)
2006 Dec 2, In Bahrain the 2nd
round run-off election for the lower house of parliament pitted the
Shiite-led opposition against Sunnis backed by the island kingdom's
government in a tight race. Islamic hardliners dominated the Sunni
supporters of Bahrain's government who defeated an opposition led by
the kingdom's majority Shiites in parliamentary elections. Ali
Salman (41) led Wifaq, the main Shia-based opposition party.
(AP, 12/2/06)(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)
2006 Dec 10, The oil-rich Arab
states on the Persian Gulf said that they will consider starting a
joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes. The six-nation Gulf
Cooperation Council included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab
Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
(AP, 12/10/06)
2006 Dec 18, Sheik Abdul-Ameer
al-Jamri (67), a spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shiite opposition,
died of heart and kidney failure. He had served in Bahrain's first
parliament (1973-75), which was dissolved by the emir. He was jailed
for 3½ years (1996-1999) after riots against the country's
Sunni leadership.
(AP, 12/19/06)
2006 In Bahrain Salah
al-Bandar, a former government official, said he had confidential
government documents revealing a plan to provide Sunnis form other
countries with passports in an attempt to turn the Shias into a
minority.
(Econ, 4/5/08, p.52)
2006 A third of the native
Bahraini workforce earned less than $600 a month, despite an average
per head income of close to $20,000. Shia villages ringing Manama,
the main city, suffered power cuts, leaky sewage and crowded
schools.
(Econ, 11/25/06, p.46)
2007 Jan 4, Musir Salem Jawher
(28) from Bahrain won the 30th International Tiberias Marathon,
around the Sea of Galilee. The Kenyan runner (Leonard Mucheru),
adopted by Bahrain 4 years earlier, faced anger from Bahrain for
running in an Israeli marathon.
(WSJ, 4/16/07,
p.A1)(www.tiberias-marathon.co.il/en/)
2007 Jul 25, Tony Blair held
talks on with the crown prince of Bahrain on his first regional tour
as an international envoy for Middle East peace.
(AP, 7/25/07)
2007 Oct 22, A US Navy sailor
allegedly shot and killed two female sailors in the barracks of an
American military base in Bahrain.
(AP, 10/22/07)
2007 Dec 21, Bahraini security
forces stormed the houses of the country's most outspoken Shiite
opposition group at dawn, arresting at least seven of its members.
Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain's 450,000 citizens,
but the ruling family is Sunni.
(AP, 12/21/07)
2007 Dec 22, In Bahrain
Security forces conducted sweeps through Shiite villages, arresting
several protesters involved in a week of demonstrations against the
Sunni-led government.
(AP, 12/23/07)
2007 Dec 27, In Bahrain more
than a dozen people detained during recent Shiite protests were
charged with attempted murder, illegal assembly and rioting.
(AP, 12/27/07)
2007 The parliament of Bahrain
passed a non-binding motion banning the use of its territory for any
attack on Iran. Bahrain hosted the US 5th fleet.
(Econ, 12/22/07, p.78)
2008 Feb 28, It was reported
that Aluminum Bahrain BSC had filed suit in federal court in
Pittsburgh accusing Alcoa Corp. of a 15-year conspiracy involving
overcharging, fraud and bribery.
(WSJ, 2/28/08, p.A1)
2008 Mar 12, The US Treasury
said it blacklisted Future Bank of Bahrain because it is controlled
by Bank Melli of Iran, which plays a role in financing Tehran’s
nuclear and missile programs.
(WSJ, 3/13/08, p.A3)
2008 Apr 21, The 6-member Gulf
Cooperation Council met in Bahrain, along with representatives from
Egypt, Jordan and Condoleeza Rice for the US, to discuss diplomatic
support for Iraq as well as other issues. Rice failed to secure firm
commitments on debt relief for Iraq.
(SFC, 4/22/08, p.A10)(WSJ, 4/22/08, p.A10)
2008 May 28, Bahrain's King
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa appointed Lawmaker Houda Nonoo, believed to
be the Arab world's first Jewish ambassador, as the country's envoy
to Washington.
(AP, 5/29/08)
2008 Nov 9, A Bahrain-based
Islamic investment bank unveiled plans for a five-billion-dollar
energy sector business hub at Sabratha, Libya.
(AFP, 11/9/08)
2008 Dec 19, Bahraini security
troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of
protesters demanding Arab governments take action to end the closure
of the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 12/19/08)
2009 Jan 6, Bahrain’s credit
outlook was downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service amid tumbling
crude prices and the global financial crises.
(WSJ, 1/7/09, p.A7)
2009 Jan 27, In Bahrain police
fired tear gas at dozens of rioters as the public prosecutor charged
three Shiite Muslim activists with promoting a coup.
(AP, 1/27/09)
2009 Jan 30, Bahrain’s riot
police in Manama used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse
protesters angry with perceived government discrimination against
the Shiite majority.
(AP, 1/30/09)
2009 Apr 12, In Bahrain a
pardon by King Sheik Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa led to the release of
178 people imprisoned on security-related charges. Among them were
22 Shiite activists who have been on trial since February on charges
of seeking to destabilize the government and promote regime change
through terrorism.
(AP, 4/14/09)
2009 May, The Int’l. Banking
Corporation (TIBC), a Bahraini bank owned by the Gosaibi family of
Saudi Arabia, defaulted.
(Econ, 7/11/09, p.65)
2009 Jun 7, Bahrain, Kuwait,
Qatar and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement paving the way for a
monetary union and plans for a unified regional currency.
(SFC, 6/8/09, p.C1)
2009 Jun 24, The Gosaibi family
of Saudi Arabia held a creditor’s meeting in Bahrain. Their
representatives revealed that the group owed $9.2 billion to over
120 banks all over the world.
(Econ, 7/11/09, p.65)
2009 Nov 25, Iran stopped the
yacht, “Kingdom of Bahrain,” owned by Sail Bahrain as it sailed from
Bahrain to the Gulf city of Dubai. It had been due to join the
360-mile (580km) Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which was to
begin Nov. 26. Five British sailors were detained.
(AP, 11/30/09)
2009 Dec 15, In Kuwait Gulf
Arab nations put into force a monetary pact, moving a step closer
toward the elusive goal of a single regional currency and greater
integration between the mainly oil-rich states. The announcement was
made by Kuwait's finance minister came as leaders from the
six-member Gulf Cooperation Council nations were wrapping up a
two-day summit in which they launched a regional electricity
project. The GCC groups Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates, Oman and Bahrain.
(AP, 12/15/09)
2009 Bahrain’s population was
about 800,000. Its GDP per person was $22,000.
(Econ, 8/15/09, p.42)
2010 Aug 15, In Bahrain four
leading Shiite activists were arrested as the kingdom's Sunni
leaders try to end violent confrontations between Shiite protesters
and anti-riot police. Shiites are a majority in Bahrain, but the
oil-rich nation is ruled by a Sunni royal family.
(AP, 8/15/10)
2010 Aug 17, Bahraini lawyer
Mohammed al-Tajir said a total of 10 activists, including eight
leading members of the opposition, have been detained since Aug 14.
(AP, 8/17/10)
2010 Aug 24, Authorities in
Bahrain arrested a suspect in the case of Canadian singer Fatima
Kama (28), whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase at
London's Heathrow Airport on Jul 17, 1999. The body was found when a
member of the public spotted a black suitcase abandoned on the third
floor of a Heathrow Airport parking lot.
(AP, 8/24/10)
2010 Aug 27, Bahrain's public
prosecutor banned media from reporting on a prominent Shiite
activist and scores of other opposition members detained in an
ongoing crackdown ahead of October parliament elections.
(AP, 8/27/10)
2010 Sep 4, Bahrain state media
released the photographs of 23 Shiites — ranging from opposition
figures to professors and taxi drivers — accused of conspiring to
overthrow the government. They include opposition leader Abdul-Jalil
al-Singace, whose arrest on Aug. 13 marked the first salvo by
officials against members of a Shiite majority, 60-70% of the
population being cast as coup plotters who could open the door to
Iranian influence.
(AP, 9/5/10)(Econ, 10/16/10, p.56)
2010 Sep 8, The head of a
Bahraini human rights organization says the government has taken
over his group and removed him from his post. The government said
the group was "only serving one segment of society," referring to
the country's majority Shiites.
(AP, 9/8/10)
2010 Sep 14, Assailants
targeting security officials in Bahrain set off an explosion that
damaged several parked cars in the first such attack since the
country's Sunni-led rulers began a crackdown on suspected Shiite
dissidents last month.
(AP, 9/14/10)
2010 Sep 20, Bahrain stripped
Ayatollah Hussein al-Najati, a powerful Shiite cleric with close
ties to Iraq, of his citizenship as authorities widened a crackdown
against alleged dissidents ahead of next month's elections in the
tiny Gulf nation.
(AP, 9/20/10)
2010 Oct 13, In Bahrain top
justice official said 23 Shiite activists, detained in a sweeping
crackdown by the country's Sunni rulers, have been charged with
terrorism and conspiring against the government.
(AP, 10/14/10)
2010 Oct 23, Bahrainis voted
for the third time since reforms which turned the Gulf state into a
constitutional monarchy, with the Shiite majority demanding an
easing of the Sunni dynasty's grip on power. The embattled
Shiite-led opposition held on to all of its parliament seats in the
elections, but fell short of the majority it hoped to win as a show
of strength against the island kingdom's Sunni rulers.
(AFP, 10/23/10)(AP, 10/24/10)
2010 Oct 28, In Bahrain more
than two dozen Shiite Muslims accused of plotting against the Sunni
rulers described abuses including beatings and electric shocks at a
trial observed by US envoys.
(AP, 10/28/10)
2010 Oct 30, Bahraini voters
went to the polls for a run-off poll with three groups, two Sunni
Islamist and a leftist alliance, contesting the last seats in
parliament. Official results showed pro-government candidates won
all nine parliamentary seats. The results gave pro-government Sunni
candidates a combined total of 22 seats in the 40-member
legislature.
(AP, 10/30/10)(AP, 10/31/10)
2010 Dec 7, Leaders of six
US-allied Gulf Arab nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),
said they were monitoring with "utmost concern" developments in
Iran's disputed nuclear program and issued a thinly veiled warning
to their Persian neighbor not to meddle in their internal affairs.
The 2-day gathering of leaders from the Emirates, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman followed the publication of leaked
US diplomatic memos that revealed deeper concern among Gulf Arab
leaders over Tehran's nuclear program than had previously been
known.
(AP, 12/7/10)
2010 Bahrain’s population was
about 738,000, including some 235,000 non nationals.
(NYT 2011 Almanac, p.537)
2011 Feb 11, Bahrain state news
agency BNA said the king has ordered that each family in the tiny
Gulf monarchy be given $3,000 to mark the 10th anniversary of a
national charter for reforms.
(Econ, 2/19/11, p.53)(http://tinyurl.com/4h7odkv)
2011 Feb 13, Bahrain's security
forces set up checkpoints and fanned out on patrols as opposition
groups blanketed social media sites with calls to stage the first
major anti-government protests in the Gulf since the uprising in
Egypt.
(AP, 2/13/11)
2011 Feb 14, Bahrain's security
forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of
anti-government protesters heeding calls to unite in a major rally
and bring the Arab reform wave to the Gulf for the first time. Ali
Abdulhadi Mushaima (21) died in today's marches.
(AP, 2/14/11)(AP, 2/15/11)
2011 Feb 15, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters poured into a main square in Manama in an
Egypt-style rebellion. Fadel Salman Matrouk was shot dead in front
of a hospital where mourners gathered for the funeral of Ali
Abdulhadi Mushaima, who died of his wounds a day earlier. King Hamad
bin Isa Al Khalifa made a rare national TV address, offering
condolences for 2 deaths, pledging an investigation into the
killings, and promising to push ahead with reforms, which include
loosening state controls on the media and Internet.
(AP, 2/15/11)(AFP, 2/15/11)
2011 Feb 16, Bahraini
protesters demanding sweeping political reforms from their rulers
held their ground in an Egypt-style occupation of the capital's
landmark square, staging a third day of demonstrations that have
brought unprecedented pressure in one of Washington's most strategic
allies in the Gulf.
(AP, 2/16/11)
2011 Feb 17, Bahrain army
patrols and tanks locked down Manama after riot police swinging
clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them
sleeping, in a pre-dawn assault in the capital that uprooted their
protest camp demanding political change. At least five people were
killed and more than 230 injured.
(AP, 2/17/11)(AP, 2/18/11)
2011 Feb 18, Bahrain soldiers
fired tear gas and shot heavy weapons into the air as thousands of
protest marchers defied a government ban and streamed toward the
landmark square that has been the symbolic center of the uprising
against the Gulf nation's leaders. At least 50 people were wounded.
(AP, 2/18/11)(SFC, 2/19/11, p.A4)
2011 Feb 19, In Bahrain
thousands of singing and dancing protesters streamed back into
Manama's central Pearl Square after leaders withdrew tanks and riot
police following two straight days of a bloody crackdown by security
forces in the tiny monarchy.
(AP, 2/19/11)
2011 Feb 20, Bahrain's
opposition wants the nation's rulers to guarantee they will back up
their conciliatory words with actions. At least 7 people have been
killed and hundreds injured since the Arab wave for change reached
the Gulf last Feb 14.
(AP, 2/20/11)
2011 Feb 21, In Bahrain a group
of young protesters camped out in the capital and called for the
ouster of the entire ruling monarchy as part of sweeping demands to
call off a weeklong uprising. At least 8 people have been killed and
hundreds injured in the clashes since the unrest spilling across the
Arab world reached the Gulf last week. A manifesto from a group
calling itself "Youth of Feb. 14" — after the day of the first
marches — apparently sought to raise the stakes of demands ahead of
possible talks between the opposition and the monarchy.
(AP, 2/21/11)
2011 Feb 22, Bahrain's king
ordered the release of some political prisoners, conceding to
another opposition demand as the embattled monarchy tries to engage
protesters in talks aimed at ending an uprising that has entered its
second week.
(AP, 2/22/11)
2011 Feb 23, Bahrain released
at least 100 prisoners, including 23 Shiite activists on trial since
last year for plotting against the state. Protesters vowed not to
budge from Pearl Square, the epicenter of anti-regime
demonstrations, despite the release of leading Shiite opposition
activists and renewed calls by the king for talks.
(AFP, 2/23/11)(AP, 2/24/11)
2011 Feb 24, Bahrain protesters
showed no sign of retreat as an anti-government uprising entered its
11th day and opposition groups said the state had not yet met their
pre-conditions for dialogue.
(AP, 2/24/11)
2011 Feb 25, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of anti-government protesters filled Manama in an attempt
to boost pressure for sweeping political concessions before possible
talks to end nearly two weeks of demonstrations and clashes in the
strategic Gulf island kingdom.
(AP, 2/25/11)
2011 Feb 26, A prominent
Bahraini opposition leader, Hassan Mushaima, returned home from
exile and urged the Gulf kingdom's rulers to back up promises of
political reform with action. Thousands of protesters marched from
the capital's landmark Pearl Square to the prime minister's office,
calling for him to resign.
(AP, 2/26/11)
2011 Feb 27, In Bahrain
thousands of protesters streamed through the diplomatic area and
other sites, chanting against the country's king and rejecting his
appeals for talks to end the tiny Gulf nation's nearly two-week-old
crisis.
(AP, 2/27/11)
2011 Mar 3, Bahrain’s Shiite
opposition groups, seeking to loosen the Sunni monarchy's grip on
power, said they are ready to negotiate with the Gulf nation's
rulers about political change after weeks of protests. Clashes
between Sunnis and Shiites added to fears that Bahrain could be
dragged deeper into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis backing the
monarchy and Shiites who represent 70 percent of the population.
(AP, 3/3/11)(AP, 3/4/11)
2011 Mar 4, In Bahrain
thousands of anti-government demonstrators streamed toward the
headquarters of state television. Crackdowns by security forces have
left seven dead.
(AP, 3/4/11)
2011 Mar 6, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiite opposition supporters blocked the entrance to
the prime minister's office but failed to disrupt a government
meeting as the campaign for reform in the strategic Gulf nation
enters its third week.
(AP, 3/6/11)
2011 Mar 7, In Bahrain hundreds
of members of the Shiite Muslim majority protested outside the US
Embassy to appeal for Washington to back their campaign for greater
political freedom.
(AP, 3/7/11)
2011 Mar 10, Bahrain's depleted
parliament warned against continued protests near government
ministries, calling Shiite rallies for a leadership overhaul in the
Persian Gulf kingdom illegal. The parliament has been in limbo since
18 opposition legislators resigned last month to protest the
government's deadly crackdown on the demonstrations centered around
a tent complex in Pearl Square in Manama.
(AP, 3/10/11)
2011 Mar 11, In Bahrain
security forces backed by pro-government vigilantes battled
protesters near the offices and compounds of the ruling family.
(AP, 3/11/11)
2011 Mar 12, In Bahrain tens of
thousands of protesters marched on a royal palace hours after
clashes with police injured dozens of activists.
(AP, 3/12/11)
2011 Mar 13, In Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-government
demonstrators blocking the highway into the capital's financial
district and surrounded the protesters' main camp in the capital.
More than 200 people were injured there in clashes between riot
police and demonstrators.
(AP, 3/13/11)(AFP, 3/14/11)
2011 Mar 14, In Bahrain a
parliament bloc appealed for the king to impose martial law. Some
1,000 Saudi troops entered Bahrain as part of the Gulf countries'
joint Peninsula Shield Force.
(AP, 3/14/11)(Econ, 3/19/11, p.56)
2011 Mar 15, Bahrain's king
imposed a 3-month state of emergency and gave the country's military
chief wide authority to battle a pro-democracy uprising that has
threatened the ruling monarchy and drawn in forces from around the
Gulf. Saudi Sgt. Ahmed al-Raddadi was shot and killed by a protester
in Manama. At least 200 people were shot and wounded in a Shiite
village south of Manama. Two people were killed elsewhere.
(AP, 3/15/11)(AFP, 3/16/11)
2011 Mar 16, In Bahrain
soldiers and riot police expelled hundreds of protesters from
landmark square in Manama, using tear gas and armored vehicles to
try to subdue the growing movement challenging the 200-year-old
monarchy. At least five people were killed as clashes flared across
the kingdom. Bahia al-Aradi (51) was driving on a main road in
Manama looking for gasoline when she was shot in the head as she
approached a military checkpoint.
(AP, 3/16/11)(AP, 3/22/11)
2011 Mar 17, Bahrain's Sunni
monarchy detained at least seven prominent opposition activists.
Iran recalled its ambassador to protest the Gulf troops backing the
government against the Shiite protests.
(AP, 3/17/11)
2011 Mar 18, Bahrain's Shiites
buried their dead amid a continued government crackdown in this
Sunni-ruled island nation in the Persian Gulf.
(AP, 3/18/11)
2011 Mar 19, Bahrain's king
pledged to bring reforms and another demonstrator was confirmed to
have died in a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as
international calls mounted for restraint.
(AFP, 3/19/11)
2011 Mar 20, Bahrain's
opposition asked for UN and American intervention in the government
crackdown on the Shiite protests trying to loosen the monarchy's
grip, in a brief protest in the capital that disbanded before police
could arrive to break it up.
(AP, 3/20/11)
2011 Mar 21, Bahrain's king
blamed a foreign plot for his nation's weeks-long unrest, using
veiled language to accuse Iran of fomenting an uprising by the
Shiite majority in the Sunni-ruled island kingdom.
(AP, 3/21/11)
2011 Mar 25, Thousands of
Bahrainis turned out for a sermon of a major Shi'ite cleric ahead of
"Day of Rage" protests planned across the Gulf Arab country despite
a ban imposed under martial law. Security forces fired tear gas and
pellets at anti-government protesters after a prominent Shiite
cleric vowed that their demands for the Sunni monarchy to loosen its
grip on power will not be silenced by "brutal force." Activists said
one person died.
(Reuters, 3/25/11)(AP, 3/25/11)
2011 Mar 27, Bahrain's largest
Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq accepted Kuwait as a mediator with
Bahrain's government to end a political crisis gripping the tiny
kingdom.
(Reuters, 3/27/11)
2011 Mar 28, Bahrain's foreign
minister said it was "completely untrue" that Kuwait would mediate
to resolve the country's political crisis, a reaction leading
opposition group Wefaq said augured badly for any resolution.
(Reuters, 3/28/11)
2011 Mar 29, Bahrain's
40-member parliament formally accepted the resignations of 11 of 18
Al Wefaq lawmakers from the Shiite opposition, exposing them to
prosecution.
(AP, 3/29/11)(AFP, 3/29/11)
2011 Apr 1, Bahrain Human
rights organization and opposition groups said at least 20 people
have been killed in total, since protests began February 14 and
hundreds of activists have been either detained or questioned since
martial law went into effect in mid-March.
(AP, 4/1/11)
2011 Apr 1, Bahrain human
rights organization and opposition groups said at least 20 people
have been killed in total, since protests began February 14 and
hundreds of activists have been either detained or questioned since
martial law went into effect in mid-March.
(AP, 4/1/11)
2011 Apr 3, Bahraini
authorities banned Al-Wasat, the country's main opposition
newspaper, in a widening effort to muzzle anti-government media and
crackdown on the Shiite opposition in this Sunni-ruled Gulf nation.
The Information Ministry agreed to allow the newspaper to resume
publishing on April 4 after its editor-in-chief and two other top
editors stepped down.
(AP, 4/3/11)
2011 Apr 5, Bahraini
authorities deported two Iraqi journalists working for the
opposition's main newspaper. The government had accused Al Wasat
newspaper of unethical coverage of the Shiite uprising against the
Sunni rulers. At least 27 people have been killed, since the
protests began in Bahrain in mid-February.
(AP, 4/5/11)
2011 Apr 9, In Bahrain 2
supporters of the anti-government movement died in police custody.
(SSFC, 4/10/11, p.A4)
2011 Apr 12, In Bahrain Zainab
al-Khawaja (27), the daughter of Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (50), a
prominent human rights activist, went on hunger strike to protest
the arrest of several family members, including her father and her
husband, over anti-government demonstrations. At least 29 people
have been killed since the protests began on Feb. 14, including
three opposition supporters who died in custody.
(AP, 4/12/11)
2011 Apr 13, Bahrain's Shiite
opposition party said that another one of its supporters, the fourth
to date, has died in police custody. Haji Karim Fakhrawi died in
"mysterious circumstances," while his relatives pointed to a body
covered in bruises saying he had died of torture. The official news
agency cited the medical examiner from the army hospital saying
Fakhrawi died of kidney failure.
(AP, 4/13/11)
2011 Apr 14, Bahrain's justice
minister said Wefaq, the opposition's main Shiite party, will be
dismantled within a month for "threatening peace."
(AP, 4/17/11)
2011 Apr 16, Bahrain detained
Mohammed al-Tajer, a human rights lawyer, and at least two doctors
as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in the Gulf Arab
kingdom. Tareq al-Fursani, a gold medalist in several Asian
championships, was arrested at his home in a village east of the
capital Manama.
(Reuters, 4/16/11)(Reuters, 4/17/11)
2011 Apr 17, The Bahrain News
Agency said 111 employees of the Education Ministry had been
punished for participating in the street marches and strikes last
month.
(AP, 4/17/11)
2011 Apr 18, Bahrain’s Foreign
Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa said Gulf troops will
stay until its Sunni rulers are satisfied that threats from Iran
have eased amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent. He also said
Bahrain does not seek to dissolve the main Shiite opposition group
Al-Wefaq, and wants it as a "partner for the future."
(AP, 4/18/11)(AFP, 4/18/11)
2011 Apr 22, Physicians for
Human Rights said at least 32 health care professionals in Bahrain
have been detained since martial law was declared last month to
quell anti-government demonstrations by the country's Shiite
majority demanding greater freedoms and equal rights.
(AP, 4/22/11)
2011 Apr 23, Bahrain’s main
opposition party said that government authorities have demolished 16
mosques as part of a crackdown on Shiite dissent.
(SSFC, 4/24/11, p.A6)
2011 Apr 28, A Bahraini
military court convicted four Shiite protesters and sentenced them
to death for the killing of two policemen during anti-government
demonstrations last month. Three other Shiite activists were
sentenced to life in prison for their role in the policemen's
deaths.
(AP, 4/28/11)
2011 May 1, Bahrain's chamber
of commerce called on Gulf Arab nationals to boycott Iranian goods
and halt financial transactions with Tehran, accusing it of
interfering in the country's affairs.
(Reuters, 5/1/11)
2011 May 3, Bahrain’s justice
minister said 24 doctors and 23, who treated injured anti-government
protesters during months of unrest in the Gulf kingdom, have been
charged with acts against the state and will be tried in a military
court. Their prosecution began on June 6.
(AP, 5/3/11)(AFP, 5/4/11)(SFC, 6/7/11, p.A2)
2011 May 8, Bahrain's state
news said the Sunni king has ordered a state of emergency to be
lifted from June 1, after imposing it in mid-March following weeks
of Shi'ite-led street protests in the Gulf Arab kingdom. Opposition
leaders appeared in a military court charged as part of a group of
21 with forming a terrorist organization and attempting to overthrow
the monarchy.
(Reuters, 5/8/11)(AFP, 5/8/11)
2011 May 10, In Bahrain
Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza, energy minister and chief executive of
the state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), said that 293
employees have been dismissed since the king declared martial law on
March 15 to quell weeks of demonstrations.
(AP, 5/11/11)
2011 May 10, The Gulf
Co-operation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia,
UAE) said it welcomed Jordan’s request to join the 6-member group.
Jordan had first applied for membership in the mid-1980s. The GCC
said it would encourage Morocco to also join.
(Econ, 5/21/11,
p.54)(http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13586238)
2011 May 17, Bahrain's
parliament accepted the resignations of the last seven lawmakers of
the Shiite opposition in a move that could exacerbate sectarian
tensions in the strategic Gulf island kingdom.
(AP, 5/17/11)
2011 May 19, A Bahraini
security court announced the sentencing of a prominent Shiite cleric
and eight others to 20 years in prison for the alleged kidnapping of
a police officer.
(AP, 5/19/11)
2011 May 31, Bahrain’s King
Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa (61) said he wanted to engage in a national
dialogue. Dismissing the government was not an option as Saudis
apparently insisted that his uncle Prince Khalifa bin Salman
al-Khalifa (75), who has served as prime minister for 40 years, stay
in office.
(Econ, 6/4/11, p.55)
2011 Jun 1, Bahrain ended
emergency rule in Manama, but police remained at numerous
checkpoints in the city. At least 30 people have been killed since
protests began in February.
(SFC, 6/2/11, p.A3)
2011 Jun 3, Bahraini police
fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters marching toward the
landmark Pearl Square in Manama, two days after authorities lifted
emergency rule.
(AP, 6/3/11)
2011 Jun 11, In Bahrain over
10,000 demonstrators joined the first public rally in months as the
main Shiite party urged backers to press ahead for political rights.
(SSFC, 6/19/11, p.A4)
2011 Jun 12, Bahrain sentenced
Ayat al-Qurmezi to a year in prison on anti-state charges, including
inciting hatred. She had recited poems critical of Bahrain’s rulers.
(SFC, 6/13/11, p.A2)
2011 Jun 17, In Bahrain
thousands of Shiites rallied outside Manama in the second mass
demonstration organized by Al-Wefaq opposition group since a
mid-March crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
(AFP, 6/17/11)
2011 Jun 19, In Bahrain lawyers
for three former editors of the main opposition newspaper told a
court the journalists were tricked into publishing false news about
the Sunni monarchy's crackdown on Shiite-led protesters as part of a
plot to undermine a key opposition voice.
(AP, 6/19/11)
2011 Jun 22, Bahrain sentenced
8 prominent Shi'ite Muslim activists and opposition leaders to life
in prison on charges of plotting a coup during protests in the Gulf
island kingdom earlier this year. Witnesses say Bahrain security
forces fired tear gas at protesters after a security court sentenced
Shiite activists to life in prison.
(Reuters, 6/22/11)(AP, 6/22/11)
2011 Jun 29, Bahrain’s King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said an independent commission will
investigate allegations of rights violations during anti-government
protests and a deadly crackdown in the Gulf kingdom. At least 31
people have died since February when the country's Shiite majority
started a campaign for greater freedoms and an end to the Sunni hold
on power.
(AP, 6/29/11)
2011 Jun 30, Bahrain stopped
bringing anti-government protesters to trial at a special tribunal
with military prosecutors and moved the proceedings to civilian
courts. Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse
thousands of opposition supporters.
(AP, 6/30/11)(SFC, 7/1/11, p.A2)
2011 Jul 2, Bahrain's Sunni
rulers launched landmark reconciliation talks with the opposition,
after four months of Shiite-led protests for greater rights and
harsh crackdowns on dissent in the strategic Gulf kingdom.
Opposition groups could nominate just 35 of the 300 participants.
Riot police fired tear gas at anti-government protesters denouncing
the reconciliation talks.
(AP, 7/2/11)(Econ, 7/9/11, p.46)
2011 Jul 5, In Manama, Bahrain,
reconciliation talks between the Sunni monarchy and the Shiite
opposition started for the first time since the eruption of
anti-government protests.
(AP, 7/6/11)
2011 Jul 6, Human Rights Watch
accused Bahrain of carrying out a "campaign of violent oppression"
against its citizens and called for an end to abuses.
(AFP, 7/6/11)
2011 Jul 15, In Bahrain Zainab
Hasan Ahmed al-Jumaa (47) suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired
by riot police during a demonstration near her home in Sitra, the
hub of Bahrain's oil industry.
(AP, 7/16/11)
2011 Jul 17, Bahrain's main
Shiite opposition bloc, Al-Wefaq, said it was pulling out of a
national dialogue with the government on political reform because
the initiative was not serious.
(AFP, 7/17/11)
2011 Jul 23, In Bahrain cleric
Seyyed Abdullah al-Ghoreifi said authorities have demolished 30
Shiite mosques during their 5-month-old crackdown in the Sunni-ruled
Gulf kingdom.
(AP, 7/23/11)
2011 Jul 28, Bahraini police
raided a medical center operated by the Paris-based Doctors Without
Borders (MSF) saying it was "unlicensed."
(AP, 8/4/11)
2011 Jul 29, Bahrain's main
Shiite opposition formation slammed the national dialogue's
recommendations submitted to King Hamad a day earlier, saying they
do not represent its demands or the will of the people. Al-Wefaq
reiterated its demands for an "elected government," an "elected
parliament which has full legislative powers," and a "fair and
independent judicial system" in the Shiite-majority Gulf nation.
(AFP, 7/29/11)
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