Human Rights Watch: Bahrain Detains Doctors, Activists

"Bahrain should end its campaign of arrests of doctors and human rights activists," HRW said in a statement released on Monday.

The human rights group said that "masked" security forces detained several doctors and rights activists on March 19-20.

Human Rights Watch also voiced concern about the whereabouts of those doctors and rights advocates still in detention. "The arrests, some of which occurred during pre-dawn hours, appear part of a broader government crackdown involving nighttime raids on the homes of those viewed as supporting pro-democracy protesters.

Nighttime raids by masked men accompanied by uniformed security personnel have become disturbingly familiar in Bahrain," said Joe Stork, deputy director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa division.

The HRW added that many opposition political activists and local rights defenders "have slept away from their homes or gone into hiding to avoid arrest or harassment."

It added that several political and human rights activists have been threatened with death on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.

On Sunday, Human Rights Watch also said that Bahraini security forces refused to let injured people reach the country's largest hospital on March 16 and interfered with medical services at other facilities as well. "There can be no justification for denying critical medical care," said Stork adding "King Hamad, as the commander of Bahrain's army, bears responsibility for this flagrant violation of the right to health and potentially the right to life."

More than 15 people have been killed and about 1,000 injured since the start of the anti-government protests demanding the ouster of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa from the small Persian Gulf kingdom in mid-February.