Bahrain’s largest opposition group dismissed Tuesday a government statement acknowledging “instances” of abuse, saying the repression of mainly Shiite anti-government protesters is “systematic.” Al-Wefaq said in a statement the Sunni-dominated government is trying to escape responsibility for “violations leading to numerous fatalities and hundreds of injuries on junior security personnel.” The Wefaq statement said the February and March bloody crackdown on the protest movement was “systematic” in nature and was a result of a “planned” government policy. Al-Wefaq argued that the sheer number and nature of “abuses could not have taken place without prior knowledge and consent of influential officials,” adding that the “ultimate responsibility lies with the top decisions makers rather than junior officials and soldiers.” On Monday, the Bahraini government acknowledged there were “instances of excessive force and mistreatment of detainees,” and said 20 officers are being prosecuted. Authorities say 24 people, including four policemen, were killed in the month-long uprising , while the Shiite-led opposition puts the death toll at 30. Hundreds more have been injured and detained.