Martial Law Imposed by Bahrain’s king, Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa

MANAMA - Bahrain’s king, Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa, on Tuesday declared a state of martial law in country as sectarian strife worsens and protesters are demanding his ouster.

King Hamed’s declaration was straight away followed up by a statement by the Bahraini military saying that they aim to “crack down on lawbreakers,” clearly implying that they would move against the protesters, predominantly Shi’ite Muslims, who have occupied areas of the capital, Manama, and all but paralyzed the country.

The protests continued today, however, with upward of 10,000 Bahrainis in the streets of Manama converging on the Saudi Embassy to condemn what they called an “occupation” of their nation.