Tunisia to host conference on human rights violations in Bahrain

TEHRAN,Aug.2(MNA) – Tunisia will host an international conference on human rights violations in Bahrain next week. Representatives from 11 Bahraini human rights institutions and a number of international human rights officials will attend the conference, which is scheduled to be held on August 4 and 5. The conference would be of high importance as the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa against dictatorial governments began when a young Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire after a policewoman confiscated his electronic weighing scales and his produce cart. The uprising, also referred to as the Islamic Awakening, has so far brought down Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Zein El Abedin Ben Ali of Tunisia, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen. Mubarak, Ben Ali, and Saleh enjoyed strong support by the West, especially the United States.