Bahrain Arrests Minor for 'Assault' on Police Officer

A Bahraini minor was held in custody for assaulting a police officer and taking part in a street gathering in a village south of the capital Manama, his lawyers said in a statement Sunday.

Sayed Yasin Abduljalil, 13, appeared before a juvenile judge, who ordered his detention until Thursday for "assaulting a police officer... inciting violence" and "gathering" in public areas, said the statement.

The boy was arrested on Friday on a street in Hamad Town, where protesters were blocking the roads to prepare for a demonstration.

He was taken to a police station where he was "beaten and tortured," his lawyers said, urging rights groups and foreign embassies in Manama to intervene to secure his release.

Tensions run high in Bahrain where a month-long Shiite-led uprising was crushed in March 2011. Demonstrations have, however, intensified in recent months as protesters sporadically clash with the police.

Amnesty International says 60 people were killed since protests erupted in Bahrain in February last year.