Authorities in Bahrain have arrested six top Shia and Sunni opposition leaders in a crackdown on pro- democracy protests in the country. Opposition leader Hassan Mushaima of the Haq Movement, who had returned last month from self-imposed exile to the UK, was one of the prominent leaders detained. Heavily armed forces and tanks blocked most of Manama’s thoroughfares as authorities banned holding of rallies. Amid the crackdown by the security forces, UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay condemned the use of forceby security forces against the pro-democracy protesters.