Bahraini opposition stages first major protest in months

Tens of thousands of pro-reform supporters marched through the outskirts of the Bahraini capital Manama on Friday, in one of the largest opposition rallies in months, dpa reported.

The "Freedom and Democracy" march, called by mainly Shiite and liberal groups, was the first major gathering since the government's decision to ban weekly rallies in June.

The protesters marched along Budaiya Highway chanting demands for a democratically-elected government and legislature, as well as an independent judiciary.

In a joint statement, the opposition groups criticized the ongoing security crackdown and the harsh court sentencing of activists, demanding their immediate release.

Friday's rally came a day after some members of the leading Shiite opposition group, al-Wefaq, met with the country's deputy prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, to discuss the political crisis. It was the first publicized high-level meeting between the opposition and the government in a year.

Bahraini authorities said in a statement that the meeting came at the request of al-Wefaq and that the deputy prime minister had "stressed the necessity of inclusiveness for political development and genuine progress."

Youth groups, which have been calling for the downfall of the Sunni regime, had come out against the proposed dialogue between the government and opposition, saying that taking part in it would give the authorities political legitimacy.

Protests demanding political reform and greater freedoms in Shiite majority Bahrain, home to the US Navy 5th Fleet Command, began on February 14, 2011. According to the opposition and rights groups, more than 90 people have been killed in government crackdown since then.