Systematic arrest, illegal detention of Bahraini youth follows FIA disastrous push to hold “blood race”

Bahrain arrests protest leaders as Grand Prix nears
16 April, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

Bahraini forces are arresting protest leaders across the country and detaining them without charge in a bid to prevent disruption at the Formula One Grand Prix next weekend, senior human rights activists have said.

The country is due to host the race on Sunday, but has been hit by pro-democracy protests calling for it to be cancelled.

Dozens of protesters have been arrested, with many expected to be held without charge until the race is over, activists have said.

Two American representatives of Human Rights Watch were detained on Sunday whilst attending a protest against the race.

They were held for four hours along with Said Yousif, the deputy head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), before being released.

Yousif said they had fled the protests after the arrival of heavily-armed riot police, but had been targeted by the security services.

“I took the Americans to a close house and they came to us inside the home and sprayed something on our face – one of them beat me on my back and after that they took us to a police car,” he told Al-Akhbar.

Yousif said government forces had been going to villages across the country to arrest potential trouble-makers.

“Every day they go to one village or one city and arrest activists. They want to arrest all the activists – maybe they will release them or they will charge them with something,” he said.

He added that he expected many to be detained without charge until after the race.

Ala’a Shehabi, founder of Bahrain Watch – which tracks abuses of power by the ruling government – said on Twitter that there was an “unannounced state of emergency,” with activists being rounded up.

A Reporters Without Borders report last month condemned the Bahraini government for trying to suppress the protests.

It added that the upcoming Grand Prix was an attempt by the ruling regime to pretend the protests were not happening. …source