Bahraini Blogger Dies While In Detention

Bahraini blogger Zakariya Rashid Hassan al-Ashiri died Saturday while in government custody, Read Write Webreports. Al-Ashiri, who wrote for a news web site in his home village of al-Dair, was arrested on April 2 "on charges of inciting hatred against the regime and the promotion of sectarian." After al-Ashiri's death, Bahraini authorities stated that he had succumbed to sickle-cell anemia, a claim which his family denied. The AhlulBayt News Agency released a series of photos of al-Ashiri after his death indicating that he had been fatally beaten.