DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Bahrain has arrested four American journalists covering the anniversary of its 2011 uprising amid a long crackdown on dissent in the tiny island nation, witnesses said Monday.
Bahrain said it detained the four for entering the country without obtaining a media visa and for “participating in an unlawful gathering.” The U.S. Embassy in Manama said in a statement Monday it was “aware of the arrest of four U.S. citizens in Bahrain” on Sunday but that it could not discuss the case due to privacy concerns.
The identities of the journalists and whether they worked for a specific media outlet was not immediately clear. Photographs of the reporters working in Sitra, a largely Shiite community south of the capital that has seen repeated protests, circulated on social media, including one image of a woman being filmed while speaking to a masked protester.
On Sunday, police arrested a photographer working with the group, the two witnesses said. Later that night, police surrounded the area with checkpoints and arrested the other three, the witnesses said. The witnesses spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of being arrested.
An Arabic language police statement carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency accused one of the four journalists of wearing a mask and being part of “subversive elements” rioting, committing vandalism and attacking security forces. It also said the journalists entered the country on tourist visas. Bahrain requires international journalists to obtain special media visas before entering Bahrain to work.