3 female activists arrested in Bahrain

Wed Jun 15, 2011 9:35PM

Female protesters in Bahrain (file photo)

Bahraini security forces have arrested three female activists after they took part in a sit-in protest at the United Nations office in Manama.

The women were holding a sit-in on Wednesday inside the UN building and were then taken to the Hura police station in the capital, AFP quoted human rights activist Nabil Rajab as saying.

Zainab al-Khawaja, daughter of renowned Bahraini activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, was reportedly one of the activists arrested.

The other two were identified as Asma Darwish and Sawsan Jawad.

The women, detained three hours into their sit-in, were protesting against the arrest of their family members and delivered a letter for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in which they called for help in securing the release of their loved ones.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry said the arrests came at the request of the UN office and that "legal measures" were taken against the women for refusing to leave.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Bahrainis poured into the streets on Wednesday to mark the completion of fourth months of the popular uprising against the Western-backed government in the Persian Gulf state.

Bahrain is also bracing for a massive demonstration against the ruling Al Khalifa royal family scheduled to be held on Friday, despite the heavy-handed Saudi-backed crackdown on anti-regime protests.

The Friday demonstration, called by the country's main opposition party, the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, would be the second major anti-regime demonstration since the Saudi-backed crackdown on protesters began in mid-March.

Thousands of protesters have been staging demonstrations in Bahrain since mid-February. The opposition's initial demands of political reform and a constitutional monarchy soon turned into outright calls for the ouster of the Al Khalifa royal family following the brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

MRS/AGB/HGL