Bahrain expels 16 Lebanese nationals

11 April, 2011 19:16

16_leb Bahraini authorities have expelled 16 Lebanese nationals as the Persian Gulf country is in a political deadlock over anti-government protests.

The Lebanese Embassy said on Monday that six of the Lebanese were forced to leave without knowing the reasons after 10 others were expelled last week.

The expulsion comes after Â Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed support for the Bahraini protesters’ demands.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah’s leader condemned Saudi Arabia’s military crackdown in Bahrain, urging Manama not to expel any of the Lebanese working in the kingdom.

Bahraini authorities have stripped more than a dozen Lebanese of their work and residence permits.

The Amnesty International has condemned the Bahraini and Saudi regimes for using heavy-handed tactics against the protesters.

Bahraini people have been demanding an end to the two-century-long rule of the Al Khalifa dynasty since February 14.

Scores of protesters have been killed and many others gone missing since the beginning of the revolution, according to local reports.

Bahraini forces with the help of Saudi, the UAE and Kuwaiti troops have reinforced a massive armed crackdown on the uprising.