Bahrain is a Shia-majority country ruled by a Sunni monarchy Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Bahrain medics 'promoted unrest'
Bahrain is a Shia-majority country ruled by a Sunni monarchy Bahrain has arrested two former members of parliament from the main Shia opposition party, al-Wefaq, members of the group say.
The arrest of Matar Matar and Jawad Fairuz is the latest step in Bahrain's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
The Sunni rulers declared martial law in March to crush the protests led by the country's Shia majority, who are demanding greater political rights.
Since then, hundreds of people have been detained. Four have died in jail.
The unrest in Bahrain started on 14 February, when protesters - emboldened by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt - took to the streets urging democratic reform. Some have called for the overthrow of the monarchy.
About 30 people, including four policemen, were killed during weeks of unrest, until the ruling al-Khalifa family called in troops from other Sunni-ruled Gulf neighbours, including Saudi Arabia, to put down the protests.
Former MP Matar Matar had continued to speak out in the foreign media, condemning Bahrain's heavy-handed clampdown on opposition forces.
He and Mr Fairuz were taken from their homes on Monday evening, and have not been heard from since, officials from al-Wefaq party say.
More than 700 suspected opposition supporters have been rounded up in raids by security forces. Some 300 have been released, but more than 400 others face trial in military courts, officials said last week.
Last week, four Shias were sentenced to death and three others jailed for life by a military court for the alleged killing of two security men.
On Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Bahraini authorities to halt the sentences - echoing a call from Amnesty International last week.
Meanwhile, the Paris-based media rights watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has added Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa to its blacklist of "predators" against press freedom.
RSF cited the case of Karim Fakhrawi, a Bahraini journalist close to the opposition, who died in detention.
The Bahraini authorities deny any human rights abuses. They accuse Iran of fomenting the unrest - a charge which Tehran denies.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-13267040
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