Ahlul Bayt News Agency ; Human rights activists have expressed concern about the intensifying crackdown on the Shia community in Bahrain by the Sunni-dominated government.
The activists say the crackdown on the freedom of expression is fast escalating and broadening in scope.
"There is a continuous war against all Shias who are critics of the government," President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab told Press TV on Tuesday.
Many of the opposition detainees were tortured and sexually assaulted, among them religious figures, he added.
The rights activists said that more websites were being blocked while an increasing number of publications were being banned on an almost daily basis.
Earlier on Sunday, the Manama government revoked the citizenship of leading Shia cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Hussein al-Najati, who represents top Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Bahrain, and the citizenship of his family.
An outspoken critic of the government, Sheikh Abdul Jaleel al-Miqdad, has also been prohibited from leading Friday prayers.
The Bahraini government has arrested more than 250 Shias since August, accusing 23 of them of plotting a coup and provoking "violence, rioting and terrorism."
The population of Bahrain is predominantly Shia. However, the majority group has long complained of being discriminated against by the Bahraini government in obtaining jobs and receiving services.
The Shia opposition refuses to recognize the 2002 constitution and has called for a boycott of the October 23 parliamentary elections.
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