Ten candidates taking part in the upcoming by-elections in Bahrain have been receiving warnings against their participation, said a top official.

'The threats were mainly letters, text messages and phone calls made to candidates asking them not to contest elections,' said Faisal Fulad, secretary-general of Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS).

'We are not against clerics or opposition groups calling for boycott of the elections, but stopping individuals from practising their political rights is unacceptable.'

Fulad said some candidates had already pulled out of the race after being targeted.

'There are about four candidates, who we know, quit the poll race after they received threat messages,' he said.

'We are compiling all the complaints at the moment and will submit it to Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Ministry,” he added.

Election officials urged anyone affected to contact their nearest police station. – TradeArabia News Service