US troubled by arrests of opposition leaders in Bahrain

"The United States is deeply troubled by arrests of Bahraini opposition leaders and others," the State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, said.

State Department spokesman expressed particular concern about the arrests of Ibrahim Sharif, leader of Wa'ad, a recognised political society, and Ali Al-Ekri, a doctor at Bahrain’s largest public hospital, Salmaniya Medical Center, who was arrested after criticising hospital conditions.

"We call on the Government of Bahrain to ensure the security of person of all arrestees and to abide by its commitment to transparent judicial proceedings conducted in full accordance with Bahraini law and Bahrain’s international legal obligations," Toner said in a statement.
US also called on security forces to cease violence, especially on medical personnel and facilities.

"Protesters, too, must engage peacefully and responsibly. The Bahraini government must exercise maximum restraint as it deals with this situation and must ensure that GCC forces do so as well," he said.

"As we have previously noted, a solution to Bahrain’s problems will not be found through security measures. We reiterate our call for a peaceful and broadly inclusive political dialogue aimed at bringing about a purely "made-in-Bahrain" solution and implementation of the kind of meaningful and credible reforms that will meet the aspirations of all Bahraini people," Toner added.