In a statement on Sunday, Marziyeh Afkham said the intensification of security approaches by the government of Bahrain and its regional and Western allies will only complicate the situation.

She urged Bahraini authorities to take trust-building measures in order to pave the ground for serious dialogue between the government and people.

Her comments came after reports about the arrest of a senior Bahraini opposition figure on Sunday.

Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary General of Bahrain’s main opposition bloc al-Wefaq Society, was taken into custody by the country’s prosecutor general, al-Wefaq official website announced.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry had ordered Salman to appear before police investigators on Sunday without providing any explanation as to why the summons was issued.

The arrest came just two days after the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society reelected Sheikh Ali Salman as its leader.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the Al Khalifa royal family to step down from power.

The protesters have also slammed the Manama regime’s arrest and torture of political activists.

Since then, many Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.