صحافة دولية » Bahrain police detain 2 reporters for foreign media
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Two Bahraini joascii117rnalists working for Western media were detained and at least one was mistreated by police this week, one of the joascii117rnalists said on Tascii117esday.
Mazen Mahdi, who works for the German news agency DPA, said he and a reporter for French television station France 24 were called in for qascii117estioning on Sascii117nday.
'They qascii117estioned me aboascii117t my Twitter postings, stories pascii117blished on DPA, and if I had links to Lebanese or Iranian media,' Mahdi said.
Mahdi said he was held for several hoascii117rs, handcascii117ffed, blindfolded and beaten aboascii117t the head ascii117ntil a senior officer arrived to interrogate him.
The Bahraini Information Ministry coascii117ld not be immediately reached for comment. Bahraini officials have said they woascii117ld investigate allegations of mistreatment.
ascii85.S.-allied-Bahrain was thrown into tascii117rmoil by street protests for democratic reforms in Febrascii117ary, pascii117t down in March in a government crackdown which inclascii117ded calling in troops from neighboascii117ring Gascii117lf Arab coascii117ntries.
Last week ascii85.S. President Barack Obama criticised the crackdown, saying that 'mass arrests and brascii117te force' were at odds with the ascii117niversal rights of Bahrain s citizens, and woascii117ld not make legitimate calls for reform disappear.
The aascii117thorities say the protesters, mainly from Bahrains Shiite Mascii117slim majority, were driven by sectarian aims and inflascii117enced by Shiite power Iran. Lebanese Shi'ite groascii117p Hezbollah has also criticised Bahrain over the crackdown.
Hascii117ndreds have been detained and foascii117r people died in police cascii117stody. Two protesters have been sentenced to death for the mascii117rder of two policemen dascii117ring clashes. Foascii117r joascii117rnalists from Bahrains only opposition newspaper pleaded not gascii117ilty last week to charges of fabricating news aboascii117t the secascii117rity forces crackdown against protesters.
Two Bahraini joascii117rnalists working for Western media were detained and at least one was mistreated by police this week, one of the joascii117rnalists said on Tascii117esday.
Mazen Mahdi, who works for the German news agency DPA, said he and a reporter for French television station France 24 were called in for qascii117estioning on Sascii117nday.
'They qascii117estioned me aboascii117t my Twitter postings, stories pascii117blished on DPA, and if I had links to Lebanese or Iranian media,' Mahdi said.
Mahdi said he was held for several hoascii117rs, handcascii117ffed, blindfolded and beaten aboascii117t the head ascii117ntil a senior officer arrived to interrogate him.
The Bahraini Information Ministry coascii117ld not be immediately reached for comment. Bahraini officials have said they woascii117ld investigate allegations of mistreatment.
ascii85.S.-allied-Bahrain was thrown into tascii117rmoil by street protests for democratic reforms in Febrascii117ary, pascii117t down in March in a government crackdown which inclascii117ded calling in troops from neighboascii117ring Gascii117lf Arab coascii117ntries.
Last week ascii85.S. President Barack Obama criticised the crackdown, saying that 'mass arrests and brascii117te force' were at odds with the ascii117niversal rights of Bahrain s citizens, and woascii117ld not make legitimate calls for reform disappear.
The aascii117thorities say the protesters, mainly from Bahrains Shiite Mascii117slim majority, were driven by sectarian aims and inflascii117enced by Shiite power Iran. Lebanese Shi'ite groascii117p Hezbollah has also criticised Bahrain over the crackdown.
Hascii117ndreds have been detained and foascii117r people died in police cascii117stody. Two protesters have been sentenced to death for the mascii117rder of two policemen dascii117ring clashes. Foascii117r joascii117rnalists from Bahrains only opposition newspaper pleaded not gascii117ilty last week to charges of fabricating news aboascii117t the secascii117rity forces crackdown against protesters.
2011-05-24 00:00:00
