"This year's harsh crackdown on Shiite Muslims in Bahrain follows a template that Saudi Arabia used against Shiites in its Eastern Province as recently as two years ago," Secret US State Department cables show.
The cables published Friday in the "Sydney Morning Herald" states that some of the Saudi officials named in the cables as responsible for the 2009 Eastern Province crackdown now are advising Bahrain's leaders in their attempt to crush its opposition."
In the latest development, a special military court in Bahrain on Wednesday convicted 21 mostly activists on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government during street demonstrations this year, sentencing eight to life in prison and the others to terms of up to 15 years.
The US cables were released by the online whistleblower website, Wikileaks. Among the topics the cables discuss are the arbitrary arrests of clerics and residents, the closing of mosques and the blocking of Shiite citizens from an important religious site in the Muslim holy city of Medina.
"The cables provide rare documentation of what human rights officials have long thought is a persistent campaign waged against citizens in Eastern Saudi Arabia by their own government. Saudi Arabia strictly controls access by foreign journalists, and, the cables note, Saudi officials often take steps to discourage coverage of incidents by local news organizations." The Australian newspaper clarifies.
"The cables, most of them sent from the US consulate in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, express concern that the Saudi actions are likely to fuel a sense of disaffection among citizens of the East, especially young people". The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
"The similarity between the actions ascribed to Saudi officials and what has taken place in Bahrain since Saudi troops arrived there March 15 is also striking. Saudi officials even cite the same reasons for closing mosques - improper permits and illegal construction - that Bahraini officials used to explain why they have destroyed at least 40 mosques in the last three months." Wiki leaks cables note.
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