Rights group urges Bahrain to lift ban on protests

Rights group Amnesty International has called on Bahrain to lift a ban on all public protests immediately, saying it violates people's right to free speech and peaceful assembly. The ban was announced by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday on the grounds that public rallies "jeopardize civil peace and disturb security and general order," according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency.The government had sought to protect freedom of expression, but "that privilege has been abused repeatedly by organizers' violations" and people's lack of respect for the law, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa is quoted as saying. Rallies will remain outlawed until "security is maintained," BNA reported.