The victim, identified as 16-year-old Ali Radhi, was killed as regime forces attacked thousands of anti-government protesters who were heading toward Diraz to join the weekly Friday Prayers led by senior Bahraini cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim.
It was not immediately clear how Radhi was killed, but witnesses say security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Some arrests were also made.
Bahrain’s main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq, called on Bahrainis to attend the Friday Prayers in Diraz to show support for Sheikh Qassim after Manama authorities warned cleric not to criticize the government.
Al-Wefaq says police blocked the roads leading to Diraz and prevented thousands of worshippers from reaching the village.
It also posted pictures showing elderly people who had collapsed on the ground after being targeted with tear gas.
Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has been the scene of anti-regime protests since February 2011, and scores of people have been killed and hundreds more injured in the regime crackdown.
On October 30, the Manama regime imposed a ban on all public gatherings across the country.
The protesters, however, say they will continue holding demonstrations against the Al Khalifa regime until their demands for the establishment of a democratically elected government and an end to rights violations are met.
