Bahrain has established a fund to compensate victims of the civil unrest that took place in 2011. The move is part of measures aimed at stabilising the country where protests by the majority Shia population continue to be violently confronted by security forces.

On 24 January, police and protesters clashed in several areas across Bahrain as a Shia cleric urged demonstrators to “crush” the police. At least one person is reported to have been killed in the clashes.

The clashes were a sign that Shia protesters are becoming increasingly violent. They say there is a continued crackdown on dissent by police, despite the government’s attempts at reform and the release of an independent report into human rights abuses during the peak of the anti-government protests in early 2011 (MEED 02:12:11).