Irish writer deported

Finian Cunningham, an Irish journalist and writer who had been living in Bahrain for years, was deported. He told Reporters Without Borders he had a tourist visa that was due to expire in July, but the authorities notified him it had been cancelled because of his journalistic activities. They warned him that he could be interrogated if he did not leave within 48 hours. Ever since the start of the pro-democracy demonstrations in mid-February, he had been actively commenting on developments, especially the government-orchestrated crackdown, and had been giving many interviews.