BAHRAIN rejected an Amnesty International report yesterday which charged that government reforms had failed to end serious violations of human rights.

The government claimed that Thursday’s report had “significant shortcomings” and did not reflect clarifications provided by authorities.

Bahrain said the report glossed over “highly significant strides” the government has taken over the past four years.

The 79-page Amnesty report documented a “chilling crackdown on dissent” that includes the continued jailing of activists, bans on protests in the capital and cases of torture and other mistreatment of detainees.

In reply, Bahrain said Amnesty had misrepresented its stance on freedom of opinion, speech and peaceful assembly.

The government insisted those rights were protected by the constitution and it “continues to uphold them robustly,” but there it drew the line.

“It is the government’s duty to protect citizens, residents and visitors alike and it makes no apology for doing so,” it said in a statement.