Bahrain also detained Nabeel Rajab, a prominent activist and the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, on a charge of spreading "false news." The lawmakers told Kerry they are "deeply alarmed" by the government of Bahrain's suppression of free speech and political dissent. The senators want Kerry to tell them what specific actions the Obama administration is taking to press the government of Bahrain "to return to a path of reform and reconciliation." A simmering political crisis in Bahrain could spiral into violence, encourage meddling by Iran and weaken a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, a bipartisan group of senators warned Thursday in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. Unless those actions are reversed, they told Kerry, "we fear that tensions in Bahrain could quickly intensify and destabilize an important United States ally."

Source: Fox News June 30, 2016 18:11 UTC