Bahrain activists to test protest ban with US embassy rally

Pro-reform activists in Bahrain, inspired by the success of street protests in Egypt, plan to demonstrate near the US Embassy today in defiance of a government ban.

The demonstrations were on schedule despite a warning from the prime minister last week that the government would not tolerate attempts to "drag the country into ruin and chaos". They also come after the government toughened the country's antiterrorism laws, including imposing longer prison terms and stripping perpetrators of Bahraini nationality, which some human rights groups said could lead to a crackdown on protesters.

The activists have called on Washington, a long-time ally of Bahrain, to use its influence with the authorities to ensure that a demonstration can be held on the doorstep of its embassy without bloodshed.

The Bahrain Rebellion Movement, Tamarod, which is organising the planned rally, is less than two months old.

It takes its name and inspiration from the Egyptian Tamarod movement which spearheaded the nationwide protests that triggered the army's overthrow of the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi on July 3.

On August 1, Tamarod posted an open letter asking the US Embassy to provide protection for the planned rally, saying it poses "ethical responsibilities" for Washington.

The group said the goal of the demonstration was a "real democracy in Bahrain not less than that found in western countries such as the USA and the United Kingdom."

At least 80 people have been killed in Bahrain since pro-reform protests erupted in early 2011, according to the International Federation for Human Rights. The main Shiite parties have all boycotted the kingdom's parliament for more than two years to press their demand for a genuine constitutional monarchy, in which top ministers are elected representatives, not appointed by the king from within the Sunni ruling family.

The government banned all demonstrations in the capital, except for officially authorised events outside the offices of international organisations.

The authorities say that police stations and patrols have come under bomb attack in Shiite villages outside the capital in recent months.