See also Bahrain, Syria (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The "Forgotten" Protests That Never Went Away
EA correspondents in Bahrain have been closely following the case of 16-year-old Ali Alsatrawi, killed by a police jeep on Friday night in Juffair. They have tried to put together the story of his death and have attended his funeral today (see reports, pictures, and videos in our LiveBlog).
Just after midnight local time, one of the correspondents sent in this vivid report, moving from the funeral to a tale of cat-and-mouse with security forces who broke up a protest after the burial and pursued mourners with tear gas and rubber bullets:
I just got back home in Sitra. The police are still tear-gassing the villages roads. I had to sneak in --- thank God I almost know all the back entrances.
I have seen burning tyres on some of the roads, I think protesters burned them after the massive attack by the police on the funeral. The size of the force was huge --- I don't remember seeing this many mercenaries since the last attack on Martyrs Square in March!! I almost got captured by them twice today! This was a very long and stressful day....
I joined the mourners at the location for the start of the funeral procession at 3:30 p.m.. There was a large crowd, and I could still see others arriving.
After prayers finished, the funeral march started. The coffin with the martyr's body came from the place where the dead are washed before burying them. A man on the speakers was repeating to the people to be careful when they carry the coffin because they had just stopped the body from bleeding and just lifting might cause the blood to flow again. The mourners walked with the coffin until it reached a SUV and was placed on top of it carefully.
The SUV drove slowly between the crowd which grew larger and larger, as the march started on Sitra island's main roads. It was a very emotional funeral, given this was a 16 year-old kid who was brutal killed. I could see women crying on the side roads, other were holding their heads and shouting as the SUV passed. I could see anger in the men's eyes --- I knew this would ot just end after burying Ali's body.
The procession continued on Sitra's main roads, all blocked because of the huge size of the funeral. Mourners were on both sides of the road, men on the right and women marching on the left. Most of the chants were political: "Down with [King] Hamad", "We shall never forgive who killed you, Ali", "I shall stamp on the coffin, I love my country", "Alkhalifa [the ruling family] leave the country", "The people want the fall of the regime", and many more.
In the middle of the funeral, the father of a martyr killed in the first attack on Martyrs Square in February gave a short speech in which he emphasised that the martyrs are the path for freedom and dignity. After that the funeral reached the graveyard. Once Ali's body was burred, another march was organised by the demonstrators. It did not last for long.
Security police had already closed all the main entrances to Sitra island so no one could get in or out. Then the attack started.
I was heading back home, since I was with some friends who are not from the village with me and they do not know the roads. On the way, we found ourselves facing a big group of mercenaries walking on foot. Once they saw us, they started shooting at us.
We ran away through clouds of tear gas, while rubber bullets flew over our heads. I lost the guys, so I took the narrow roads I know pretty well and got back home. I got in my car and started searching for them; protesters from the villages had already started blocking the roads with bricks and barriers. After wandering around and making a few phone calls, I found them, and I also took home with me a couple more guys I found lost in Sitra's roads.
I went out again searching for anyone else who might be lost in the middle of the clashes. That is when I found myself face-to-face with the police, who --- although I was in my car --- started shooting at me and chasing me. I put the car in reverse and drove away, heading back home. The smell of tear gas was all over the island --- we had to close all the windows; otherwise it would get in.
The clashes continued between protesters and police force for another couple of hours, until nightfall, when it quieted due to evening prayers. After many phone calls with others who were watching the situation, I went out again, I had to find out about a group who were hiding in a mosque, getting them out if necesary. People of the village started getting out in their cars, honking the famous tune "Tn.Tn.Ttn", a.k.a. "Down down Hamad". I saw a large number of police at the entrances. After taking a couple who were hiding in a house to their car, I decided to get out of the village.
Clashes started again later at night, Protesters from Sitra used a more aggressive approach by blocking roads with burnt tires. People are frustrated, and the government is not showing any tolerance.
So I decided to call it an evening. I am on the roof of my house. The smell of tear-gas can still be felt in the air, while dark clouds of smoke are still rising, mixed with a few sounds of gunshots.