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Bahrain: Important Players in the Uprising

December 26, 2012 | Pulitzer Center
By
Reese Erlich, for the Pulitzer Center

Hamad Al Thawadi, is deputy chair of the Bahrain Free Labor Union Federation, a new coalition backed by the monarchy. Critics say BFLUF in an attempt to split a larger union federation, which supported the opposition. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Sayed Yousif al-Muhafdha is acting head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. He regularly attended demonstration to document police actions, for which he was arrested and detained Dec. 17, 2012. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Three women workers from the giant aluminum smelting company ALBA. They say they are among the 4,500 workers throughout Bahrain that were fired for supporting an opposition general strike. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Ali Salman, general secretary of Al Wefaq Islamic Society, heads the largest opposition group and continues to promote non-violent resistance to the monarchy. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Farida Ghulam is a leader of the Democratic Action Society (Waad), a center-left group with some following among Sunnis in Bahrain. Her husband Ebrahim Sharif, general secretary of Waad, was jailed and tortured by the monarchy. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Jihan Kazerooni is a former investment banker who now helps run BRAVO, a NGO helping victims of torture. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Sameera Ebrahim Bin Rajab, minister of state for information affairs, maintains that the opposition is dominated by Islamic extremists. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Sheik Abdul Azeem al Mohtadi is one of the most influential Shia Muslim clerics in Bahrain. He was jailed for supporting the mass demonstrations against the monarchy. This photo was shot Nov. 30, 2012, one day after his release. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Youngsters sit atop a barricade erected by Muhazza Villagers to keep out security forces. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Yaqoob Yousif Mohammad, head of the new labor federation. Image by Reese Erlich. Bahrain, 2012.

Reese Erlich interviews and photographs important players in Bahrain’s Arab Spring, some of them participants in the protest movement and others supporters of the government.