MANAMA, Bahrain, April 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. State Department report on human rights in Bahrain includes claims that a "far from the truth," a spokeswoman for the government said.
The State Department updated its reports on human rights Friday. The report for Bahrain said "serious human rights" issues ranged from vague charges filed against opposition leaders, torture and general restrictions on the freedom of speech and of assembly.
Government spokeswoman Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab said the assessment appeared to side "with the terrorists."
"The report includes texts which are totally far from the truth, adopting a manner that fuels terror and terrorists targeting Bahrain's national security," she was quoted by the official Bahrain News Agency as saying.
BNA reports the government has been suffering from "organized and systematic terror" that is aimed at destabilizing the country.
The State Department report said 52 people died in political violence in 2011. The report said the government prosecuted security personnel for abuses committed during the uprising.
"Some protesters engaged in lethal acts of violence against security forces, including the use of improvised explosive devices, Molotov cocktails and other improvised weapons," it added.
Bahrain has been criticized for its response to the uprising. It says it's committed to a series of reforms spelled out by an independent inquiry, a commitment recognized in the State Department's report.
