video transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: Men and women turned up in hundreds across villages near the capital Manama to demand regime change late on Monday night. Videos provided by the February 14 Media Network showed large and medium groups of people in various villages around Manama waving the national flags, and chanting God is great. The group is named after the date of the start of the anti-government protests in Bahrain in 2011. Reuters cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos. The island kingdom, the base of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority erupted in 2011 inspired by revolts across the region. Bahrain's ruling Al-Khalifa family, who are Sunni Muslims, used martial law and help from Gulf neighbors to put down the uprising, but unrest has resumed. The opposition says little progress has been made towards its demands for reforms including a parliament with full powers to legislate and form governments. Many Shi'ites complain of political and economic marginalization, a charge the government denies.