MANAMA – Bahrain has arrested and beaten a prominent human rights activist and members of his family, a rights group said on Saturday, after the kingdom launched a sweeping crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
Bahrain saw the worst sectarian clashes since the 1990s last month after protesters, emboldened by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, took to the streets, prompting the government to impose martial law and invite in troops from Sunni-ruled neighbours. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja was arrested with two sons-in-law, the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said in a statement. “They broke the front door to the house and then beat them severely” along with another man, the group said, adding: “…al-Khawaja was beaten so severely that the blood stain is still visible on the staircase. And when his oldest daughter, Zainab, tried to intervene she was beaten as well.”
