Manama, April 27: A senior US State Department official has expressed concern over the fate of detained opposition activists in Bahrain, but stopped short of condemning the Saudi-backed crackdown on protests.
“We have expressed our condolences for those who died in custody, and we strongly urge the government to ensure that everyone in their custody is treated fairly and in accordance with international principles,” AFP quoted Jacob Sullivan, the US State Department’s director of policy planning, as saying on Tuesday.
The Bahrain Human Rights Center says Bahraini forces have detained 1,041 anti-government protesters, including 64 women, since the beginning of the revolution in mid-February.
As part of a crackdown on opposition protests, Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have raided hospitals and schools and destroyed dozens of mosques and holy sites.
On Tuesday, a woman was injured in the northwestern village of Bani Jamrah. She was among a group of women protesters who were trying to prevent the destruction of a religious site.
Meanwhile, seven protesters are accused of killing two members of the security forces during the regime’s crackdown on the popular uprising, former lawmaker and opposition activist Matar Matar said on Tuesday.
Scores of protesters have been killed and many others have gone missing during the Saudi-backed crackdown in the Persian Gulf state.
——–Agencies