Bahrain Mirror: Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (GIDHR) issued its 13th human rights newsletter that monitors human rights violations in Bahrain and Gulf states.

The GIDHR confirmed that Bahrain witnessed various violations of freedom of practicing religious rituals during Ashura, during which Shia majority commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali.

The institute said that the government forces attacked at least 15 villages and clashed with citizens who attempted to ban them from removing flags and banners that read religious slogans.

It also pointed out that preachers and eulogy citers were summoned on the background of taking part in Ashura occasion.

The newsletter indicated that dozens of activists, among them Deputy Head of the European-Bahraini Organization for Human Rights Fatima Al-Halwachi and deputy president of the dissolved Bahrain Teachers Association Jalila Al-Salman, were prevented from leaving Bahrain.

As for the Gulf, the newsletter stated that Emirates continues to practice torture in secret prisoners it established in Yemen and said that a detainee died due to torture.

Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights noted that Saudi Arabia arrested a number of clerics, bloggers and journalists. It reported from "The New York Times" that the Saudi authorities arrested them from their houses and confiscated their portable devices.

Arabic Version