Tension in Bahrain is rising again as the country prepares for next weekend’s Grand Prix, 12 months after Formula One caused a worldwide furore by staging a race in the Gulf kingdom.

As the Bahrain International Circuit announced that ticket sales for the race, to be held on 21 April, were ‘flying’, other reports from the country were raising concerns over the increased number of raids on activist homes and detentions as the country’s authorities cracked down on protesters pressing for political reforms.

Human Rights Watch, which has been monitoring events in Bahrain, said local sources claimed the security forces had been conducting night time and dawn raids in towns around the race circuit.

The pressure group claimed that 20 people, including prominent anti-government protest leaders, have been arrested, by security officers who have failed to produce arrest, search, or seizure warrants although these are required by Bahraini law. Officials have also denied those detained access to legal assistance during their initial formal interrogation by prosecutors.

“This latest crackdown and the way it’s being carried out raises new questions about the Bahraini authorities’ commitment to reform,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “These raids and detentions suggest that officials are more concerned with getting activists out of circulation for the Formula 1 race than with addressing the legitimate grievances that have led so many Bahrainis to take to the streets.”

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