DUBAI: A Bahraini man died overnight after being tear-gassed, the opposition said Thursday, disputing the government version that he had actually died of a blood disorder.
Jawad Marhoun, 36, died from “excessive exposure to tear gas from a canister tossed into his parents’ home on Sept. 10,” the main Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq said in a statement.
Marhoun was rushed to hospital early Tuesday “after his condition worsened,” and he died at Manama’s central Salmaniya hospital Wednesday evening, it said.

The government, which cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in mid-March, said in a statement Marhoun died from “respiratory” problems as a result of sickle cell disease.
In April, the government said that two other activists died from the blood disorder while in custody.
Marhoun’s is the second disputed death in less than a month.
Ali Jawad Ahmad al-Sheikh, 14, died Aug. 31 in the Shiite village of Sitra during a protest after prayers commemorating the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

The opposition said Sheikh was fatally wounded when he was struck in the face by a tear gas canister fired by security forces.
The government said the teenager died of blunt trauma to the back of the neck that could not have been caused by a rubber bullet or tear gas.

The deaths come ahead of the Sept. 24 parliamentary elections .
The opposition has boycotted the elections and wants democratic reforms in the Gulf kingdom where a Sunni monarchy has ruled over a majority Shiite population for decades.

Matar Matar, a senior Al-Wefaq member and former MP facing trial for allegedly calling for regime change and spreading rumors linked to the pro-democracy protests, called the situation in Manama “tense.”
“Spontaneous demonstrations are breaking out every night in the Shiite villages, and every night the security forces are responding with tear gas,” Matar told AFP.

Security forces in the archipelago were aided in the March crackdown on mostly Shiite protesters after being backed by troops with tanks from neighboring Sunni monarchies.

Authorities said 24 people were killed, including four policemen. The opposition put the toll at 30.
Wednesday night Bahrain security forces fired tear gas at crowds of protesters chanting anti-government slogans in the oil hub of Sitra.
Clashes have become a near nightly event in Bahrain, involving police and mostly Shiite demonstrators demanding greater rights.

An Associated Press journalist saw police fire tear gas at the Shiite-dominated Sitra area of Bahrain Wednesday night in an attempt to disperse protesters. At least seven people were injured.
Sunni demonstrators also protested Wednesday night in Manama over the suspension of Bahraini officers by the interior ministry while they conduct an investigation of interrogation methods used against anti-government protesters.