From the Jerusalem Post in Israel:
Bahraini woman dies after self-immolation protest
By JPOST.COM STAFF
01/14/2012 15:01
A Bahraini woman died Saturday after lighting herself on fire Friday to protest her son’s continued arrest, Bahrain news outlet Al Wasat reported Saturday.
The report described the woman as having fallen ill following her son’s arrest. He had been detained since April.
Bahrain‘s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had imposed a state of emergency that lasted between March 15 and June 1 as part of a government crackdown on mass protests that had broken out mostly among the country’s Shi’ite majority population.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
Shiite death sparks Bahrain controversy
(AFP) – 1 hour ago
DUBAI — A young Bahraini Shiite missing for 48 hours has been found dead, sparking conflicting reports Saturday over his death as the government said he had drowned while the opposition insisted he died in custody.
“On Friday, police received a call reporting a dead body found at Amwaj islands. Police responded to the scene and it was determined that the body was that of Yousif Ahmed Abbas,” the interior ministry said in a statement.
“An autopsy performed by the medical examiner determined that Abbas (missing since Wednesday) had been dead for more than 24 hours and that the cause of death was drowning,” said the English-language statement received by AFP.
But Bahrain’s main opposition formation, Al-Wefaq, said the 24-year-old’s family had been told by a police office that was under detention at the time of his death.
“Security services have informed his family that the victim was being interrogated,” Al-Wefaq member and former MP Matar Matar told AFP.
“We demand that a neutral non-Bahraini commission investigates this case and other cases concerning the killing and targeting of citizens due to the total lack of confidence in the integrity of Bahraini security services and judiciary,” the party said on its website.
But the interior ministry said a search was launched immediately after the family reported him missing. It had “ruled out that Abbas had been detained for questioning or was wanted by police in any criminal manner …
“The father of the missing man stated that his son suffered from psychological problems, sometimes going to the beaches in the area and requiring assistance in returning home,” it added.
Tensions have remained high in the tiny kingdom after Shiite-led mass demonstrations which rocked Bahrain last February and March were violently crushed by government forces using live ammunition and heavy-handed tactics.
A special commission appointed to probe the crackdown on anti-government protests published a report in November denouncing the “excessive and unjustified use of force” by the authorities.
Bahrain’s Shiite community, although a majority in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, has complained of marginalisation.
Copyright © 2012 AFP.
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Bahraini Shi’ites urge probe of “torture” death
2:41 p.m. CST, January 14, 2012
DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s main Shi’ite
opposition group on Saturday called for an international
investigation into the death of a young protester after a rights
group said his body showed signs of torture.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights quoted an uncle of the
24-year-old victim as saying his body carried “clear marks of
torture”, however the Interior Ministry said an autopsy revealed
the youth, who went missing on Wednesday, had drowned.
Wefaq, the largest Shi’ite Muslim opposition group, said a
neutral non-Bahraini commission should investigate the case and
other killings.
There had been “a complete loss of confidence in the
integrity of the judiciary and security services of Bahrain”, it
said in a statement.
Tensions between Bahrain’s ruling Sunni minority and
Shi’ites have continued almost a year after violent
demonstrations flared in the island state. The unrest was put
down with military help from Sunni-led Saudi Arabia, but
low-level protests continue on an almost daily basis.
The United States, which moors its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain,
has made a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain contingent on a
positive response to the recommendations of a government inquiry
into the unrest. Bahrain has said it is committed to reforming
its police forces.
(Writing by Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Ben Harding)
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