The AFP news agency reports that a Bahraini minor has been beaten and tortured by police after he was taken into custody for particiaping in a protest and for assaulting a police officer:

Sayed Yasin Abduljalil, 13, appeared before a juvenile judge, who ordered his detention until Thursday for 'assaulting a police officer... inciting violence' and 'gathering' in public areas, said the statement.

The boy was arrested on Friday on a street in Hamad Town, where protesters were blocking the roads to prepare for a demonstration.

He was taken to a police station where he was 'beaten and tortured,' his lawyers said, urging rights groups and foreign embassies in Manama to intervene to secure his release.

Tensions run high in Bahrain where a month-long Shia-led uprising was crushed in March 2011. Demonstrations have, however, intensified in recent months as protesters sporadically clash with the police.

Amnesty International says 60 people were killed since protests erupted in Bahrain in February last year.