• Bahrain police, protesters clash in Sanabis

    Hasan Jamali / AP

    Riot police watch for Bahraini anti-government protesters, unseen, near tire fires set by protesters in Sanabis, Bahrain, Oct. 5, 2012. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas on Friday to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach a heavily guarded site that was once the hub of their uprising.

    Associated Press reports — Riot police in Bahrain used water cannons and tear gas on Friday to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters trying to reach a heavily guarded site that was once the hub of their uprising.

    The demonstrators marched toward Pearl Square in Bahrain's capital, Manama, after a funeral procession for a protester who died in custody. The government said the man died of a blood disease.

    An Associated Press photographer said the demonstrators hurled firebombs and rocks at troops about 700 meters from Pearl Square, where crowds gathered in Feb. 2011 as the Arab Spring-inspired uprising erupted in the Gulf nation.

    Bahrain's majority Shiites seek greater rights in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. At least 50 people have died in nearly 20 months of unrest.

    Dozens of opposition leaders have been jailed, including human rights activist Nabeel Rajab whose family said he began a hunger strike Friday.

    Rajab was temporarily freed from prison this week to attend his mother's funeral, but the furlough was cut short after he delivered a speech urging for protests to continue.

    Learn more about Bahrain

    Hasan Jamali / AP

    Bahraini anti-government protesters throw petrol bombs at a police water cannon truck during clashes with riot police in Sanabis, Bahrain, Oct. 5.

    Hasan Jamali / AP

    Bahraini anti-government protesters throw bottles of paint and petrol bombs at a police water cannon truck during clashes in Sanabis, Bahrain, Oct. 5.

    Hasan Jamali / AP

    Bahraini anti-government protesters carry crates of homemade paint and petrol bombs into clashes with riot police in Sanabis, Bahrain, Oct. 5.

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  • Bahrain police fire tear gas at protesters

    A pro-reform protester throws back a gas bomb fired by police during clashes on the outskirts of Manama, Bahrain, on Monday. Injuries were reported among protesters and police ranks, before police managed to turn away the protesters.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

    MANAMA -- Security forces in Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades at protesters trying to occupy a landmark square in the nation's capital on Monday ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Gulf kingdom's Shiite-led uprising.

    Traffic came to a standstill on the highway, the main thoroughfare into the capital of the regional banking hub.

    "We will not back down," said Nader Abdulimam, who had taken refuge in a house just outside of Manama with other protesters overcome by tear gas. "This has gone on for one year and it will go for another year or more."

    Opposition supporters were undeterred by the authorities' warnings of zero tolerance for anti-government activities around the strategic island that is the home of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

    Sheikh Ali Salman, leader of the largest Shiite opposition group Wefaq, had earlier called on youths to eschew violence in protests after clashes with police escalated in recent weeks, with teenagers throwing bombs and iron bars.

    In an area about six miles west of central Manama, some demonstrators stood atop Bahrain's ancient burial mounds — some more than 5,000 years old — waving flags featuring the image of Pearl Square's six-pronged monument.

    Inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Bahrainis -- mainly from the Shiite majority -- took to the streets on February 14, 2011, to demand democratic reforms. But the Sunni Muslim-led government crushed the protests a month later after talks involving Wefaq went nowhere and sectarian violence spread.

    'Just a case of manners'
    Mainly Shiite opposition parties are demanding Bahrain's elected parliament be given the power to form governments. Shiites complain of political and economic marginalization by an entrenched elite who do not want to share power.

    The ruling Al Khalifa family accuses Iran of fomenting the uprising. Tehran denies playing a role, and Bahrain's Shiite groups deny they receive support from abroad.

    PhotoBlog: Bahrain protesters clash with police after funeral

    In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, King Hamad accused his opponents of chanting in support of Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's 1979 revolution.

    "It's just a case of manners. But when they shout 'Down with the king and up with Khomeini' that's a problem for national unity," the magazine quoted Hamad as saying in extracts of the interview, the rest of which would be published on Monday.

    The refrain "Down with Hamad," sounded by trumpets and car horns and chanted at rallies, has become a rallying call of opposition protests. Reuters journalists have not witnessed the opposition chanting in support of Khomeini.

    Amnesty: Tear gas used on Bahrain protesters kills

    "In a sense there is no 'opposition' in Bahrain, as the phrase implies one unified bloc with the same views," Hamad said in the extracts. "Such a phrase is not in our constitution, unlike say the United Kingdom. We only have people with different views, and that's okay."

    Human rights organizations say that the government is not doing enough to deal with the demands of protesters.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.