Bahrain Formula 1 set to go ahead amid violence

PanARMENIAN.Net - Race day of the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix was set to go ahead on Sunday, April22 despite pressure for the event to be cancelled over violence that has killed one person in the Gulf kingdom, AFP reported.

King Hamad announced, meanwhile, that he would be attending the highly controversial race, in an apparent effort to allay security concerns even as clashes broke out overnight in the kingdom's Shiite villages.

Bahrain insists the unrest is isolated, but tensions have mounted as majority Shiites protest against their Sunni rulers, taking advantage of the media spotlight on one of the Gulf state's showcase events.

In a statement issued early on Sunday, King Hamad said he would be attending "the climax ofthe three-day event," and pledged he was committed to reform efforts in the kingdom.

His announcement came as police fired tear gas and stun grenades at Shiite protesters who responded by hurling rocks and fire bombs while chanting "Down with Hamad."

Security was heavy around Shiite villages in anticipation of demonstrations called for by theFebruary 14 Youth Movement, who have boycotted the race and pledged "three days of rage" to coincide with the Grand Prix.

In protests that lasted through the night and into the early hours Sunday, demonstrators alsocalled for the release of prominent Shiite activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, on hunger strike sinceearly February and whose deteriorating health has raised fears he may die in prison.

Rights watchdogs have repeatedly called for Khawaja's release and denounced the government's reforms as mostly hollow, cautioning the continued political stalemate could set the country on a path to more violent confrontation.

Last week, the International Crisis Group think tank issued a conflict risk alert for Bahrain, arguing that the decision to stage the F1 race and Khawaja's imprisonment were bothticking "time bombs" in the kingdom's 14-month uprising.