Bahrain

The Sunni-led government’s crackdown on the country’s political opposition, which is dominated by Shiites, is fast expanding and now extends to middle-class professionals, particularly doctors and teachers, according to local activists and political leaders. Engineers, businessmen, academics and journalists are also being targeted for questioning, detention and dismissals, with their relatives and associates accusing the government of indiscriminately targeting Shiites regardless of political activity, The Washington Post reports.

“It is retribution,” the newspaper quotes a prominent opposition figure, who requested anonymity for fear of detention. “But it is also an ethnic cleansing of top professions.”