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MANAMA, Bahrain – Tens of thousands of red-and-white draped, flag-waving protesters flooded this tiny kingdom's capital Tuesday, a massive show of force against the embattled monarchy as the king made another concession to the marchers — a promise to release an unspecified number of political prisoners.
Upbeat, determined demonstrators took over Manama for the day, circling the Bahrain Mall and Manama's financial district, symbols of the country's recent prosperity, in a march to the heart of the protest at Pearl Square.
"Egypt, Tunisia — are we any different?" marchers chanted, calling for the Sunni rulers they accuse of discriminating against the island's Shiite majority to fall as the presidents of two other Arab countries have in recent weeks.
Helicopters hovered overhead but security forces offered no resistance after opening fire on protesters last week, and the size of the event rivaled any of the major demonstrations so far in the eight-day uprising.
The decree issued earlier Tuesday by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa covers several Shiite activists accused of plotting against the state. It underlined how much the absolute rulers of Bahrain want to kick start reform talks with opposition leaders, and the huge march in a nation of 525,000 citizens showed how much they need to.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States welcomed the king's decision to release the prisoners and "initiate a meaningful dialogue with the full spectrum of Bahraini society."
"As we have said, these steps need to be followed by concrete actions and reform," she said. "There is no place for violence against peaceful protesters."
The exact number of prisoners to be freed remains unclear, government spokeswoman Maysoon Sabkar said. But the inmates will include some of the 25 Shiite activists on trial for allegedly plotting against the monarchy, a leading member of Bahrain's Shiite opposition, Abdul Jalili Khalil, told The Associated Press.
Upbeat, determined demonstrators took over Manama for the day, circling the Bahrain Mall and Manama's financial district, symbols of the country's recent prosperity, in a march to the heart of the protest at Pearl Square.
"Egypt, Tunisia — are we any different?" marchers chanted, calling for the Sunni rulers they accuse of discriminating against the island's Shiite majority to fall as the presidents of two other Arab countries have in recent weeks.
Helicopters hovered overhead but security forces offered no resistance after opening fire on protesters last week, and the size of the event rivaled any of the major demonstrations so far in the eight-day uprising.
The decree issued earlier Tuesday by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa covers several Shiite activists accused of plotting against the state. It underlined how much the absolute rulers of Bahrain want to kick start reform talks with opposition leaders, and the huge march in a nation of 525,000 citizens showed how much they need to.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States welcomed the king's decision to release the prisoners and "initiate a meaningful dialogue with the full spectrum of Bahraini society."
"As we have said, these steps need to be followed by concrete actions and reform," she said. "There is no place for violence against peaceful protesters."
The exact number of prisoners to be freed remains unclear, government spokeswoman Maysoon Sabkar said. But the inmates will include some of the 25 Shiite activists on trial for allegedly plotting against the monarchy, a leading member of Bahrain's Shiite opposition, Abdul Jalili Khalil, told The Associated Press.
