French embassy comes under fire for alleged ill-treatment of Bahrainis

Manama: The French embassy in Bahrain has come under fire for its alleged ill-treatment of Bahrainis applying for Schengen visas.

Several Bahraini citizens have been complaining over "rough and uncompromising" treatment by embassy officials in charge of accepting applications for the visa.

They also voiced concerns about the intransigence of the security guards in dealing with applicants with no scheduled appointments even in emergency cases.

On Monday, the foreign ministry took up the matter with the diplomatic mission, calling for fair treatment of Bahraini citizens similar to that given to French nationals at Bahraini embassies.

The French embassy in Manama accepts applications only from people who have secured appointments through its website in line with a scheme launched last April to avert a repeat of the tensions that marked the summer of 2007.