Bahrain instituted a state of emergency on March 15 after weeks of antigovernment protests. The emergency law, intended to last three months, authorizes the country鈥檚 armed forces to take all actions necessary to protect the country and citizens鈥� safety, according to the announcement of the law.
The state of emergency announcement came the day after Bahrain鈥檚 government allowed 1,000 Saudi troops into the country to help it maintain order; the following day, security forces cleared the capital's main protest encampment and Shiites have since reported discrimination at security checkpoints.
According to Bahrain鈥檚 constitution, declaring emergency law allows the government , including the ability to control citizens鈥� movement and transportation; ban gatherings, NGOs, newspapers, and political societies; make arrests; and monitor residents鈥� correspondence.
