Bahraini Shias at Risk of Torture

12 October, 2010 14:41

Bahraini-Shias-Torture Amnesty International says more than 200 people, arrested as part of a clampdown against Shia political opposition in Bahrain, are at the risk of being tortured.

Around 250 individuals in Bahrain, who are believed to have been detained, are at risk of torture, the group said in a statement on Monday.

The detentions come ahead of the parliamentary elections on October 23.

Human Rights Watch also accused Bahrain of restricting the travel of rights activists to prevent them from talking about the arrest of Â opposition members.

The Sunni-dominated government has intensified the crackdown against the Shia population, arresting dozens of opposition figures on the allegation of planning to topple the government.

“There is a continuous war against all Shias who are critics of the government,” Nabeel Rajab, the head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said earlier.

Many of the opposition detainees — including religious figures — were tortured and sexually assaulted, he said.

The population of Bahrain is predominantly Shia. However, the majority group has long complained of being discriminated against by the Sunni-dominated government in obtaining jobs and receiving services.