Manama, February 21 (RHC)-- In Bahrain, new anti-government protest rallies have been held across the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom in defiance of the Manama regime's deadly crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

According to reports, a funeral procession held for a Bahraini activist who had been wanted by the ruling Al Khalifa regime turned violent on Thursday after security forces attacked the event in the village of Saar, situated west of the capital, Manama.

The Bahraini regime's human rights record has come under scrutiny over its handling of anti-regime protests that erupted across the country in early 2011. Bahraini people demanded political reform and a constitutional monarchy, a demand that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Manama also called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring states. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of others arrested in the clampdown.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International has censured Bahrain's “relentless repression” of anti-regime protesters, saying the regime's security forces “repeatedly” use “excessive force to quash anti-government protests.”