Middle East protests: Country by country

Bahrain

Unrest in the tiny island state started on 14 February and has left at least 40 people dead.

It made headlines because of Bahrain's status as a key US ally, its unusual sectarian divide and its previously stable image.

Predominantly Shia Muslim protesters have been demanding action to tackle economic hardship, the lack of political freedom and employment discrimination in favour of the ruling Sunni Muslim minority.

Bahrain, home of the US Fifth Fleet, is unusual because, like Iraq, it is one of the few Arab states with a Shia majority and, as such, is seen by some as vulnerable to influence from Iran.

The government accused Tehran of orchestrating the protests.

For weeks, the demonstrators occupied the centre of the capital, Manama.

King Hamad clamped down hard on 16 March, clearing the protesters' camp in a show of force condemned by the UN as "shocking".

He imposed a state of emergency and used hundreds of soldiers from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to beef up security.

The state of emergency was lifted on 1 June in an apparent attempt to signal that the island was returning to normal.

However, security measures remain in place to stop large gatherings and the authorities have continued to use force to break up small protests in Shia villages.

Rights groups say the government has detained more than 1,600 people - including human rights activists, doctors, bloggers and opposition supporters - since the unrest started.

In closed-door trials, four demonstrators were sentenced to death and three others to life in prison for the killing of two police officers during protests.

Nine people were later given 20 year jail sentences after being found guilty of kidnapping a policeman. Rights groups criticised the move, saying they had little access to legal counsel.

Forty-seven doctors and nurses who treated some of the wounded protesters have also gone on trial, accused of disseminating false information about the casualties and attempting to topple the monarchy.

In November an independent commission published a report stating that "excessive force" had been used when the government crushed the protests. The report stated that detainees had been blindfolded, whipped, kicked, given electric shocks and threatened with rape to extract confessions.

King Hamad expressed "dismay" at the findings and promised reforms to prevent abuses by the security forces.