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Bahrain Opposition Urges Reform, Faces Penalty

The Bahraini authorities may take legal steps against a Shi’ite opposition group after the group organized a mass pro-reform demonstration on Friday. Organizers went ahead with the protest despite being rejected a permit.

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis took to the streets on Friday to participate in the mass demonstration urging reforms. Shi’ites have been negotiating with the government on constitutional reforms to give more power to the parliament’s elected assembly and grant more rights to Shi’ites.

The protest was one of the largest opposition marches ever in the Gulf state and included some 80,000 participants, Reuters quoted the organizers.

Bahrain has a Shi’ite majority but is ruled by the Sunni minority.

A Bahraini official told the London-based Al-Hayyat that the demonstration was illegal and that security personnel warned not to go ahead with it because of security concerns.