Photo Gallery Bahrain's Stalled 'Spring'
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has been the king of Bahrain since 1999 -- and he is part of the Sunni family which has ruled the country for over 200 years. His regime quickly moved to crush the pro-democracy movements that began one year ago.
This year, unrest has been mounting ahead of the Feb. 14 anniversary of the beginning of the uprising. Here, an anti-government protester shows a victory sign to riot police during clashes in the village of Sanabis, just west of the capital Manama.
The focus of the 2011 demonstrations was Pearl Square in Manama. The camps of protesters, however, were ultimately violently cleared and the monument torn down.
Sheikh Ali Salman, a member of the Shiite majority, is the head of Bahrain's primary opposition party al-Wefeq. They are asking for the introduction of a constitutional monarchy modeled on the one in Morocco. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa told SPIEGEL that Bahrain already has a constitutional monarchy.
A protester holds up a sign bearing the image of Zaynab Salman, who is thought to be in detention for demonstrating against the government. King Hamad told SPIEGEL that there are no political prisoners in his country.
There have been several marches across Bahrain this month in anticipation of the one year anniversary of the 2011 uprisings. Here, a group marches through downtown Manama on Saturday.
Many of the top jobs in Bahrain are occupied by members of the royal family. King Hamad said that merit was the sole criteria. Here, Military Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed al Khalifa (left) with Sheikh Daij bin Salman al-Khalifa (right).
Most of the anger of 2011 was not directed toward the king, who has indeed introduced several reforms during his time in leadership, but against Prime Minister Khalifa Al Khalifa, a hardliner who has been in office since 1971. Here, a protester steps on a photo of the prime minister in February 2011.
When the protests erupted in February 2011, the Bahraini regime immediately responded with force. And they called in support from the Gulf Cooperation Council. Tanks and other armored vehicles quickly rolled in from neighboring Saudi Arabia. Here, GCC forces move into Pearl Square.
In March, the protests at Pearl Square were violently disbanded. This image shows smoke billowing from the square after at least two demonstrators were killed.
