Bahrain uprising anniversary

Opposition activists reported Thursday that a 16-year-old boy was shot dead during protests in the Shiite-populated village of Daih, outside Bahrain's capital, Manama.

The boy, identified as Ali Ahmed Ibrahim al-Jazeeri was "wounded by a shotgun that regime forces fired… and died in hospital," the main Shiite opposition bloc, Wefaq reported. It said dozens of people were injured during the confrontation which erupted when police fired shotguns and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Bahrain's interior ministry said it was investigating the incident.

Protests were reported in mainly Shiite villages across the Gulf archipelago on Thursday, the second anniversary of the uprising against the kingdom's Sunni rulers.

The Arab Spring-inspired uprising that began on February 14, 2011 was crushed by security forces, although small demonstrations continue on an almost daily basis. According to the International Federation for Human Rights at least 80 people have been killed during two years of unrest.

Thursday's protests come a day after the opposition held fresh reconciliation talks with the government and political groups that support it. The dialogue resumed at the weekend for the first time since talks broke down in mid-2011, although no progress has yet been reported.

Opposition activists have demanded greater rights for Bahrain's Shiite majority and an end to the absolute power of the Sunni ruling family.

ccp/pfd (AFP, Reuters)