2011 Bahraini uprising
Part of the Arab Spring, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, and the insurgency in Bahrain
Clockwise from top-left: Protesters raising their hands towards the Pearl Roundabout on 19 February 2011; Teargas usage by security forces and clashes with protesters on 13 March; Over 100,000 Bahrainis taking part in the "March of loyalty to martyrs", on 22 February; clashes between security forces and protesters on 13 March; Bahraini armed forces blocking an entrance to a Bahraini village.
Date	14 February – 18 March 2011 (1 month and 4 days) (occasional demonstrations since 2011)
Location	Bahrain 26°01′39″N 50°33′00″E / 26.02750°N 50.55000°E / 26.02750; 50.55000
Caused by	Inspiration from concurrent regional protests Institutionalized discrimination towards Shi'a Muslims Media censorship and arrests of politicians Poverty Saudi Arabian influence in government[1] Slow pace of democratisation[2][3] Authoritarianism Unemployment Widespread corruption Political naturalization
Goals	Abdication of King Hamad[4] Deportation of foreign mercenaries[5] Drafting of a new Constitution Ending economic and human rights violations[2] Fair elections and freedom[6]
Methods	Civil resistance Demonstrations General strikes Nonviolent revolutions Self-immolation[7]
Status	Decisive Cabinet of Bahrain victory and suppression of the Bahraini opposition. 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests started on 11 March
Concessions	Establishment of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the National Dialogue 1000 Bahraini dinar (approx. US$2,667) per family[8] Increased social spending[9]
Parties
Bahraini opposition Allegedly supported:  Iran  Hezbollah  Iraq  Qatar Bahrain government Supported by:  Saudi Arabia  United Arab Emirates  Kuwait  United Kingdom
Lead figures
Leaders of Bahrain opposition parties 8 *Anonymous activists (leaders of the February 14 Youth Coalition) *Ali Salman (Secretary General of the Al Wefaq National Islamic Society) *Hasan Mushaima (Secretary General of the Haq Movement) *Ibrahim Sharif (leader of the National Democratic Action Society) *Saeed Shahabi (leader of the Bahrain Freedom Movement) *Muħammad ʻAlī al-Mahfoudh (Secretary General of the Islamic Action Society) *Abdulwahab Hussain (leader of the Al Wafa' Islamic Movement) *Abduljalil al-Singace (Human Rights Bureau and official spokesman of the Haq Movement) Human rights defenders 2 *Nabeel Rajab (President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights) *Abdulhadi al-Khawaja (co-founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights) Independent opposition leaders 1 *Mohamed Habib al-Miqdad (orator) House of Khalifa 8 *Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (King of Bahrain) *Khalifa ibn Salman Al Khalifa (Prime Minister of Bahrain) *Khalifa bin Ahmad (Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force) *Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa (Interior minister) *Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa (Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain National Guard) *Adel bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Fadhel (Director of the National Security Agency) *Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Crown prince of Bahrain) *Khalid ibn Ahmad Al Khalifah (Foreign minister)  Gulf Cooperation Council 2 *Abdullatif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani (Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council) *Mutlaq Bin Salem al-Azima (Commander-in-Chief of the Peninsula Shield Force) King Abdullah
Number
150,000[10]p. 97 – 300,000 protesters[11] 16,000–36,000 Details Bahrain Defence Force: 13,000[12] Bahrain National Guard: 1,500[13] Peninsula Shield Force: 1,500[14] List  Saudi Arabia: 1000  United Arab Emirates: 500  Kuwait: 23 Naval ships Al Fateh gatherings: 200,000
Casualties and losses
182+ protesters killed[15][16] 2900+ wounded[17] 2929+ arrested[18] 4,539 job layoffs[10] 534 students expelled[10] 1500+ exiled[19] 900+ stripped of their citizenship[20] 846 policemen injured; 17 killed[21][22] Peninsula Shield Force 2 policemen killed List  Saudi Arabia: 1 policeman killed[23]  United Arab Emirates: 1 policeman killed[24]

The 2011 Bahraini uprising was a series of anti-government protests in Bahrain led by the Shia-dominant and some Sunni minority Bahraini opposition from 2011 until 2014. The protests were inspired by the unrest of the 2011 Arab Spring and protests in Tunisia and Egypt and escalated to daily clashes after the Bahraini government repressed the revolt with the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Peninsula Shield Force.^[25] The Bahraini protests were a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of non-violent civil disobedience^[26] and some violent^[27] resistance in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain.^[28] As part of the revolutionary wave of protests in the Middle East and North Africa following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, the Bahraini protests were initially aimed at achieving greater political freedom and equality for the 70% Shia population.^[29][30]

This expanded to a call to end the monarchy of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa^[4] following a deadly night raid on 17 February 2011 against protesters at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama,^[31][32] known locally as Bloody Thursday. Protesters in Manama camped for days at the Pearl Roundabout, which became the centre of the protests. After a month, the government of Bahrain requested troops and police aid from the Gulf Cooperation Council. On 14 March, 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, 500 troops from UAE and naval ships from Kuwait entered Bahrain and crushed the uprising.^[33] A day later, King Hamad declared martial law and a three-month state of emergency.^[34][35] Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the iconic statue at its center was demolished.^[36]

Occasional demonstrations have continued since. After the state of emergency was lifted on 1 June 2011, the opposition party, Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, organized several weekly protests^[37] usually attended by tens of thousands.^[38] On 9 March 2012, over 100,000 attended^[39] and another on 31 August attracted tens of thousands.^[40] Daily smaller-scale protests and clashes continued, mostly outside Manama's business districts.^[41][42] By April 2012, more than 80 had died.^[43] The police response was described as a "brutal" crackdown on "peaceful and unarmed" protesters, including doctors and bloggers.^[44][45][46] The police carried out midnight house raids in Shia neighbourhoods, beatings at checkpoints and denial of medical care in a campaign of intimidation.^[47][48][49] More than 2,929 people have been arrested,^[50][51] and at least five died due to torture in police custody.^{[10]: 287–288}

In early July 2013, Bahraini activists called for major rallies on 14 August under the title Bahrain Tamarod.^[52]

Naming

The Bahraini uprising is also known as the 14 February uprising^[53] and Pearl uprising.^[54]

Background

The roots of the uprising date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Bahrainis have protested sporadically throughout the last decades demanding social, economic and political rights.^[10]: 162 Demonstrations were present as early as the 1920s and the first municipal elections to fill half the seats on local councils was held in 1926.^[55]

History