Bahraini Protesters Jam Traffic in Capital

Protesters disrupted traffic in the Bahraini capital's central business district on Wednesday as part of efforts to step up pressure ahead of weekend by-elections, activists and witnesses said.

The demonstration was called by an Internet-based youth group that was one of the main engines of a Shiite-led uprising crushed by the Sunni-ruled kingdom's security forces earlier this year.

Using their vehicles, the protesters managed to force traffic to slow down significantly on main roads leading to central Manama for around three hours in the morning, amid a heavy police deployment, said the witnesses.

"There is a strong participation in the (opposition's) peaceful movement," said Matar Matar, a senior member of Al-Wefaq, Bahrain's largest Shiite opposition formation.

Matar distanced his group from the protest, however, saying it was organized by youth groups.

The February 14 youth group, which helped to organize the pro-reform protests earlier this year, had called for the protest on its page of the social networking website Facebook.

BNA state news agency said later roads had been "reopened" and that traffic was "normal," reporting police had to divert vehicles to ease "congestion."

The interior ministry had warned people from answering such calls for protests made over the Internet, saying anyone caught hampering traffic would risk imprisonment and the withdrawal of their driving licenses.

But activists have vowed to continue with their movement.

"There will be protests on Friday and Saturday and demonstrators will return to Pearl Square to call for political reforms, a constitutional monarchy and boycotting by-elections," said Mohammed Mascati, head of the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

Tensions have been on the rise in the Gulf kingdom ahead of the elections scheduled to take place Saturday.

Al-Wefaq has already pulled out of the polls called to replace 18 of its MPs who walked out of the 40-member parliament in February, in protest against the crackdown on demonstrators.

Bahraini security forces, boosted by a Saudi-led Gulf regiment, drove protesters out of Pearl Square in mid-March after they had camped there for one month.

Authorities say 24 people were killed in the unrest, including four policemen. The opposition puts the death toll at 30.