THE NEW YORK TIMES: JERUSALEM — The king of Bahrain said Sunday that the state of emergency he imposed in mid-March to quell antigovernment protests on that strategic and contested island would be ended on June 1st.
The announcement was a sign that Bahrain was seeking to assure banks and foreign governments that the chaos of recent months was over and the kingdom, which depends heavily on financial business, was trying to return to normal. It was also a sign that the numerous arrests and rushed trials of opposition figures in military courts were running their course. Some leading opposition figures went on trial as the announcement was being made.
Bahrain is majority Muslim Shiite state run by a Sunni royal family and elite. The government came down hard on the protests, which the organizers said were inspired by Egypt and Tunisia but the government accused of being aided by Iran. » | Ethan Bronner | Sunday, May 08, 2011
