A Bahraini opposition leader has strongly criticized Bahrain's intensified pressure on peaceful protesters, describing the brutal crackdowns as “genocide.”

“This is a crime against humanity, it is a genocide it is a sectarian apartheid,” said Saeed al-Shahabi of the London-based Bahrain Freedom Movement, in a Press TV interview on Saturday.
He went on to describe the brutal crackdowns in Bahrain as instances of “sectarian cleansing.”
Since the protests erupted in Bahrain three months ago, many Bahraini doctors have been arrested, tortured or sacked from their jobs, the human rights activist said.
This is aimed at discouraging the medical staff from treating anti-government protesters.
The Bahraini regime has also cut off scholarships for many Bahraini students studying overseas, leaving them in a dire state, Shahabi noted.
Bahrain facing fresh repression
Meanwhile, Bahrain has come under a fresh violent repression over new arrests and the alleged death of a female student in the country.
According to The Guardian, vehicles full of armed security forces had gathered in the streets of Manama, and its surrounding suburbs and villages on Sunday.
Reports have also suggested that Saudi forces have been involved in violence against the opposition in the mainly Shia villages surrounding Manama.
The paper quoted eyewitnesses as saying that officers with Saudi accents, in plainclothes but armed with automatic weapons, had led attacks on members of the opposition on several occasions.
On Saturday, clashes were reported between security forces and anti-government protesters in Bahrain's southern city of Sitra.
According to reports, government troops have also stormed the town of Al-Diraz, Sar village and neighboring areas.
The situation worsened when reports came in that a young woman, who was beaten up by government supporters at Bahrain University last month, had died on Saturday evening.
Human Rights Watch has said that four people have died in custody over the past month, out of 430 who were arrested.
Since the protests erupted in Bahrain three months ago, many Bahraini doctors also have been arrested, tortured or sacked from their jobs, the human rights activist said.
This is aimed at discouraging the medical staff from treating anti-government protesters.
The Bahraini regime has also cut off scholarships for many Bahraini students studying overseas, leaving them in a dire state.
This comes amid heightened tensions across Bahrain, where government troops have launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters that demand an end to the decades-long rule of the al-Khalifa dynasty.
Meanwhile, security forces are reported to have arrested over 800 people.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights in Manama has reported that the people detained by the government forces are tortured. The rights group said that there have been bruises and lashing marks on the bodies of those detainees who have died while in government custody, after they were collected by their families.
In March, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait deployed their troops to Bahrain to reinforce the brutal armed clampdowns against mass protests.
Scores of protesters have been killed and many others gone missing during the harsh crackdowns.
Moreover, most Bahraini media outlets have been blocked and several mosques have been demolished by the government.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the Bahraini and Saudi regimes for their heavy-handed tactics against the Bahraini population.