In early 2011, inspired by the widespread "Arab Spring" movements in countries across the Middle East, opposition groups in the small island nation of Bahrain rose up in a series of protests against the ruling Al Khalifa family. Within months, most of the demonstrations were violently broken up by government forces. Dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds were jailed. In the four years since, the pro-democracy movement has grown quieter but never died away. Jailed opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman awaits trial next week for "promoting political change using illegal forceful means and threats." Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was just sentenced to six months in prison for "insulting a public institution" in a message sent out on Twitter. The tweet insinuated that Bahrain's armed forces served as ideological incubators for the jihadist ideals promoted by ISIS.
On the street, demonstrations continue sporadically, sometimes devolving into violent clashes—just yesterday, an activist was apparently shot in the face by security forces while protesting, an incident caught on video. Gathered here are images of Bahrain's continued uprising, taken over the past year.
