Manama: Bahrain's top Shiite politician said last week's crackdown on Shiite protesters has destroyed a decade of stable sectarian relations.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has experienced daily clashes for the past week between Shiite protesters and Sunni-dominated security forces because of a series of arrests of leading Shiite activists.
"The way the ongoing security campaign had been handled and the rights violations that accompanied it has in one week destroyed 10 years of progress in this country," said Shaikh Ali Salman, the head of Wefaq society, the largest Shiite bloc in parliament at a press conference on Saturday.
He also accused the government of tarnishing Bahrain's human rights record and warned violence would not solve the continued problems between the two groups.
A government statement issued on Saturday blamed internationally funded insurgents for trying to disrupt national security. It also said the suspects were arrested according to Bahraini anti-terrorism laws.
Lawyer Mohammad Al Tajir estimates that over the past week 160 people have been arrested, including 10 high level leaders.
