At least one person has been killed and several others injured after riot police in Bahrain opened fire at protesters holding a funeral service for a man killed during protests in the kingdom a day earlier.
Fadhel Ali Almatrook was hit with bird-shotgun in the capital, Manama, on Tuesday morning, Maryam Alkhawaja, head of foreign relations at the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, told Al Jazeera.
"This morning the protesters were walking from the hospital to the cemetery and they got attacked by the riot police," Alkhawaja said.
"Thousands of people are marching in the streets, demanding the removal of the regime - police fired tear gas and bird shot, using excessive force - that is why people got hurt."
At least 25 people were reported to have been treated for injuries in hospital.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Bahrain, who cannot be named for his own safety, said that police were taking a very heavy handed approach towards the protesters.
"Police fired on the protesters this morning, but they showed very strong resistance," our correspondent said.
"It seems like the funeral procession was allowed to continue, but police are playing a cat-and-mouse game with the protesters."
Angered by the deaths, a Shia opposition group announced it was suspending its participation in the parliament.
"This is the first step. We want to see dialogue," Ibrahim Mattar, a parliamentarian belonging to the al-Wefaq group, said. "In the coming days, we are either going to resign from the council or continue."
Al-Wefaq has a strong presence inside the parliament and within the country's Shia community.
Monday's rage
Tuesday's violence comes a day after demonstrators observed a 'Day of Rage', apparently after being inspired by the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
Shias, who are thought to be in the majority, have often alleged discrimination at the hands of the kingdom's Sunni rulers.
Thousands came out on the streets on Monday to protest, sparking clashes with riot police.
Khalid Al-Marzook, a Bahraini member of parliament, told Al Jazeera that one person had been killed and that three others were in critical condition in hospital following Monday's violence.
Bahrain's news agency said that the country's interior minister had ordered an investigation into Monday's death.
The interior ministry later issued a statement saying that "some of the people participating in the the funeral clashed with forces from a security patrol," leading to Almatrouk's death.
"An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the case," it said.
Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa has also offered his condolences to the dead man's family.
Online reaction
Amira Al Hussaini, a Bahraini blogger that monitors citizen media for Global Voices Online, told Al Jazeera that there has been a huge outpouring of anger online in Bahrain.
| Video from YouTube showing riot police firing on largely peaceful protesters during Monday's demonstration |
"I am trying to remain objective but I can't - people are being shot at close range."
Hussaini said that people in Bahrain were very afraid.
"We are afraid of going out in the streets and demanding our rights. Tunisia and Egypt have given people in Arab countries hope - even if you believe that something is impossible."
"I personally have no respect for the police - they lie, they manipulate the story," she said.
"This is being pitted as a sectarian issue - the Shia wanting to overthrow the regime. But it is not a Shia uprising."
She said that people from all backgrounds and religions are behind the protests.
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'Saudi Arabia sending troops to Bahrain'
Reports say Saudi Arabia is sending troops to help crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is sending troops to Bahrain in a move to crack down on pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets in the capital Manama, a political analyst says.
The analyst told PressTV on Tuesday that Riyadh is sending its troops in an attempt to help King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa to crack down on the protesters.
Bahraini police have been using tear gas and batons to disperse the pro-democracy protesters in the Bahrain capital.
Three protesters have so far been killed due to police gunshot in the Shia village of Daih, in the suburb of Manama.
The last fatalities came as the protesters were participating in the funeral ceremony of another protester who lost his life earlier on Monday.
His death prompted the opposition to call for a vast participation at the funeral and to urge Bahrainis to escalate the pro-democracy protests.
Security forces have been deployed in force along the main routes into Manama in an effort to prevent a gathering that had been inspired by similar online initiatives around the Arab world
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