MANAMA, Bahrain — Tens of thousands of red-and-white draped, flag-waving protesters flooded Bahrain’s capital Tuesday in a show of force against the monarchy as the king made another concession to the marchers by releasing dozens of political prisoners.
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 tiny kingdom’s Shiite majority to fall as the leaders 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.
At least 50 prisoners were released, including 25 Shiite activists on trial since last year over plots against the state, according to a leading member of Bahrain’s Shiite opposition, Abdul Jalil Khalil.
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.”
Two of those in the case are being tried in absentia, including prominent opposition leader Hassan Meshaima, who has been in self-exile in London since last year. Meshaima’s return to Bahrain was imminent, his supporters said.
The activist’s presence was seen as possibly bolstering opposition forces seeking a harder line against the Bahrain dynasty, including some who have called for the complete ouster of the king and the family that has ruled for more than 200 years.
Meshaima’s group, known as Haq, is considered more radical than the main Shiite political bloc that has taken a central role in the revolt and is seeking the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.
A small group of Bahraini army officers joined the ranks of protesters to demand change and the resignation of the current government. They condemned the soldiers who shot at protesters Friday.
“What we did to the people was not heroic,” said Yeussif Najri, an army officer. “We ask the people to forgive us, we ask the people for forgiveness.”
The government said Tuesday that the overall death toll was seven from last week’s clashes. Previous reports from opposition groups and hospital officials in the past week set the death toll at eight, but the government tally now appears accurate.
The government also said 25 people were hospitalized, but it’s unclear what degree of injury authorities used to arrive at that figure. Opposition groups place the figure at more than 200. Many dozens of people were treated at the main state hospital.
In Yemen, government supporters swinging clubs tried to drive anti-government protesters from a square in the capital late Tuesday, as tens of thousands rallied across the country in a widening campaign to topple the president.
The pro- government forces eventually withdrew from the square near Sana University. Eleven protesters were taken to a hospital, two of them in serious condition, medical officials said.
U.S.-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 32 years, has said that he will step down after national elections are held in 2013. But he has rejected protesters’ demands that he leave office now.
In Algeria, the president’s office agreed Tuesday to lift a 19-year state of emergency to defuse discontent across the nation.
The office of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he had approved a government decision earlier in the day to lift the restrictive measure, put in place by the army in February 1992 to combat Islamist extremists.
The brief statement said the change was “imminent” but gave no date.
In Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood vowed to resume protests, saying Tuesday that the government did not keep a promise of speedy changes.
The announcement puts added pressure on King Abdullah II to give up some of his powers, but it is not seen as a threat to his rule. Opposition figures have called on the king to surrender the authority to appoint Cabinets and dissolve parliament.
Under pressure from street protests, Abdullah instructed his government earlier this month to enact “quick and real” political changes, allowing greater public say in the decision-making.
However, protesters say little has been done so far to meet their demands, such as changing a contentious election law, which the Brotherhood says favors the king’s loyalists.
In northern Iraq, thousands marched Tuesday, demanding political changes and an investigation of the fatal shootings of two protesters last week.
Last Thursday, hundreds of protesters converged on the Sulaimaniyah headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which is headed by the president of the self-ruled Kurdish region. Some protesters pelted the building with stones, and security guards opened fire. Two people were killed and dozens injured.
Protesters have rallied daily since the shooting. Two more people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators.
Information for this article was contributed by Ahmed al-Haj, Elaine Ganley, Aomar Ouali, Dale Gavlak, Jamal Halaby, Sameer N. Yacoub and Yahya Barzanji of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/23/2011