Dubai, Aug 31 (IANS) A prominent human rights activist in Bahrain has been arrested on charges of insulting the country’s ruler and assaulting police officers, a media reports said Sunday.
Maryam al-Khawaja, the co-director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, was arrested Saturday at the Bahrain International Airport, Al Jazeera reported.
Daughter of Shia activist Abdulhadi Abdulla Hubail al-Khawaja, who has been in custody in Bahrain since 2011, Maryam was planning to visit her father when she was detained at the airport.
A post on her Twitter account said the activist, a critic of the ruling family, would be held for seven days. She was not allowed to see a lawyer.
Bahrain has been witnessing protests led by Shia Muslims since 2011. Shias, who make up the majority of Bahrain’s population, complain of political and economic marginalisation, an accusation the government of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa denies.
