Bahrain deports US teacher over 'radical' writings

Bahrain says it has deported an American teacher over her "radical" writings on micro-blogging website Twitter as the Gulf kingdom cracks down on dissent. A statement Saturday from the Ministry of State for Communications said the teacher published articles about Bahrain that "were deemed to incite hatred against the government and members of the royal family." The unnamed US woman was accused of writing under a pseudonym for several online publications, the ministry said. These included As-Safir newspaper, which is linked to Lebanon's Iran-backed Shiite-group Hezbollah, and a newsletter published by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, a rights group banned by the Bahraini government. The ministry said the woman furthermore violated the terms of her work permit by working illegally as an unaccredited journalist. Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th fleet, has faced 18 months of unrest between the Sunni-led monarchy and its majority Shiite population. The government has started a crackdown on dissent.