AHRAM ONLINE: Bahraini authorities justify crackdown on Salmaniya hospital by claims it was used as a regrouping center for protesters, slammed rights groups for interfering
Amnesty International on Thursday accused Bahrain of pressing on with a crackdown against Shiite activists and doctors, as Manama tried to fend off charges of foreign meddling in its affairs.
"A crackdown on Shiite opposition activists and doctors continues in Bahrain, with six more people detained in the past few days," said the London-based rights watchdog.
"Amnesty International believes that they have been detained solely for their criticism of and involvement in the protests and that therefore they are prisoners of conscience," Amnesty said in a statement.
But the Sunni-ruled kingdom responded by slamming what it said was foreign interference and charged that outside forces had hijacked the pro-reform demands of demonstrators.
"Bahrain condemns external interference in its domestic matters," said a government spokeswoman, Maysoon Sakba. » | AFP | Thursday, March 24, 2011
