Witnesses say 4 American journalists arrested in Bahrain

A police statement published by the official Bahrain News Agency did not specify the identities or nationalities of those arrested, or who they work for.

“Reports that four American journalists are to be prosecuted in Bahrain are another alarming reminder of how risky Bahrain is for reporters”. Reporters Without Borders ranked Bahrain 163 out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index, an assessment that makes it one of the most hostile countries for journalism worldwide.

They include an independent journalist named Anna Therese Day and three members of her camera crew, according to a statement issued by Day’s family.

However a friend of Ms Day of Boise, Idaho, said the journalists were simply doing their job and denied they took part in any “illegal behaviour”.

Day is a freelance journalist who has contributed to The Huffington Post, among other publications. Police said one of the journalists was a woman and three were men.

On Sunday, police arrested a photographer working with the group, the two witnesses said.

The three other journalists were arrested at a security checkpoint.

Bahraini police say they arrested four American journalists Sunday as hundreds of Bahraini’s took to the streets to mark the fifth anniversary of their short-lived pro-democracy uprising.

Bahrain said the case of the four detainees has been referred to the public prosecution.

Global journalists wishing to work in Bahrain must get a special media visa before entering the country. Reporters Without Borders have sent messages to the country’s leaders to release the American citizens without harm since that time and the State Department has acknowledged it is aware of the situation.

Those protests have been put down violently by Bahrain safety models with assist from safety forces from Gulf Arab states together with Saudi Arabia.

Their names have not been revealed but officials said they were journalists covering an anti-government protest.

Bahrain’s government introduced a series of reforms in light of the 2011 uprising, but low-level unrest, particularly in Shiite communities, still continues.

Clashes broke out between protesters and police on Sunday as marches remembering the date were dispersed by security forces.

MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP/Getty Images Bahraini protests on Friday marked the fifth anniversary of Arab Spring uprisings on the island nation.