Killing threatens Bahrain Grand Prix

THE killing of a young man has intensified violence three weeks before the Bahrain Grand Prix.

020412Bahrain

THE killing of a young man has intensified violence three weeks before the Bahrain Grand Prix, which the government hoped could be staged peacefully to salvage its battered reputation.

Ahmed Ismail Abdulsamad, 22, was shot during a protest in the village of Salmabad, outside the capital, Manama, on Friday night. Witnesses said he had been filming the armed forces firing teargas at protesters.

The response was renewed clashes and increased tension as the Formula One teams prepare to arrive for the race on April 22. Serious disorder could cause the grand prix to be cancelled, as it was a year ago when 50 people died as protests spread.

The authorities are desperate to restore the event to the racing calendar to ensure that Bahrain is seen as having moved on from the events of last year. Last month the slogan for this year's race was announced: "UniF1ed - One Nation in Celebration".

But unification and celebration are in short supply in the villages outside Manama, where clashes between police and protesters continue almost daily.

Witnesses said that Mr Abdulsamad was shot from a civilian vehicle that was shadowing the security forces. The authorities say that it had unregistered numberplates. The bullet hit him in the thigh, severing the femoral artery, and after severe bleeding he died in hospital.

Mr Abdulsamad is the first person known to have been killed by a live round since the height of the trouble in February and March last year.

After his death there were clashes throughout the weekend. Police firing teargas fought running battles for several hours with youths throwing petrol bombs on Saturday and a demonstration against the return of the grand prix was broken up by police yesterday (Sunday).

The Interior Ministry has opened a murder inquiry into Mr Abdulsamad's death and appealed for witnesses.

"We are taking this very seriously. It is a tragic and serious crime that we are treating with the highest priority. The Ministry of Interior will do all it can to find the criminal and bring him to justice," said Abdulaziz bin Mubarak, a government spokesman.

But there is deep mistrust of the authorities. Mr Abdulsamad's body has not been released for burial because his family refused to sign the death certificate issued on Saturday, which they say does not confirm a bullet wound as the cause of death.

Accusations of a government whitewash are already growing. The funeral is bound to be the centre of protests.

"We will receive his body when they change the report. The police have pressured us to take him, but we said no. He is already dead, we can wait to put him under the ground," his sister Nadya said yesterday (Sunday). "He was killed with his camera because he was showing the world our revolution."

Activists claim that a government commission, set up to implement the recommendations of a human rights inquiry into the unrest last year, is making no serious effort at reform. More than 2000 people were arrested and hundreds were sacked from government jobs.

The grand prix is important not only to Bahrain's prestige, but also its economy, which has been harmed by a year of disorder.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa al-Khalifa, the president of the Automobile Federation of Bahrain, claimed last week that no extra security was needed for the event, but a huge police operation is expected.

Protesters have vowed to disrupt the race weekend in any way they can, with demonstrations planned for central Manama, at the hotels hosting the teams and at the circuit.

"There are disturbances, and they are youths who need to be handled and led in a proper and right way," Sheikh Abdullah said.

THE TIMES