MANAMA (Sputnik) – Bahrain’s security services have detained a reporter from the opposition newspaper Al-Wasat, the publication said on Wednesday.
"Security forces took Mahmoud [Jaziri] from his home Monday morning, telling nothing about the cause of the detention to his family," an Al-Wasat representative told RIA Novosti.
The representative added that Jaziri had contacted his brother by telephone the same day, saying he was being detained in a criminal investigations department.
The Gulf kingdom’s Interior Ministry has not yet disclosed what charges, if any, Jaziri may face.
Bahrain, a small island nation ruled by a Sunni-minority government, has seen years of protests staged by the majority Shiite population. The protests have often led to brutal crackdowns and charges of terrorism against key activists.
Rights watchdogs have urged Manama to stop jailing opposition members after it suppressed a major uprising four years ago, inspired by a series of Arab Spring protests in the region.