Bahrain deports 2 Americans
Their group says they were there to observe protests
MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain expelled two female American rights activists yesterday after police used tear gas and stun grenades as protesters tried to march toward the site of a failed pro-democracy uprising last year.
The activists had come as part of a group called Witness Bahrain, which says it wants to observe events leading up to the Feb. 14 anniversary of protests led mainly by the Shiite majority for democratic reforms in the Gulf Arab state.
“Huwaida Arraf and Radhika Sainath arrived in Bahrain in the last few days and obtained tourist visas upon arrival at the airport,” a statement from the government’s Information Affairs Authority said.
“However, once in Bahrain, they declared their intentions to join demonstrations in order to report on them. Arraf and Sainath were picked up at an illegal demonstration in Manama this afternoon.”
The authority said the women already had been deported, but associates said they had not left the country.
A statement by Witness Bahrain said the women, human-rights lawyers, were taking part in a peaceful demonstration.
Some rights activists were denied entry to Bahrain last month and a member of the team from Japan’s NHK television said they had been prevented from entry at Manama airport.
Officials were not available for comment.
The government said last week that it had denied visas to some journalists because of an overflow of requests.
Two groups of several hundred activists gathered at different points in Manama’s old market area yesterday afternoon in an apparent effort to dupe riot police, before suddenly marching toward a roundabout, renamed al-farouq Junction, the site of last year’s failed demonstration.
Security forces maintain a tight guard on the junction, which has remained blocked to traffic, to stop protesters from returning.
Bahrain has been in turmoil since the democracy movement erupted last year. Violence between riot police and teenagers has worsened in the past two months.
Bahrain escaped heavy censure from the United States, whose 5th Fleet is based in the island kingdom.