MANAMA, Bahrain: The largest Shiite bloc in Bahrain's parliament Wefaq society has said a crackdown on Shiite protesters by the government has destroyed a decade of stable sectarian relations as the tiny Gulf state heads into parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

The wave of detentions — at least 160, according to one lawyer — has spilled over into near daily clashes between the majority Shiites and Sunni-led security forces and fueled concerns of deeper unrest.

The arrests follow other clampdowns apparently aimed at tightening government control in the media.

Recently, authorities have suspended several popular websites that carried citizen journalism and commentary on political affairs, including the popular site of the independent Al Wasat newspaper.

Addressing a press conference Saturday Sheik Ali Salman, the head of Wefaq society, said: "The way the ongoing security campaign has been handled and the rights violations that accompanied it have in one week destroyed 10 years of progress in this country."

According to a 2008 State Department report Shiites make up as much as 70 percent of Bahrain's population.

Salman also accused the government of tarnishing Bahrain's human rights record, and warned violence would not solve the continued problems between the two groups. Several prominent international rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have denounced the recent arrests.

The Shiite Wefaq group holds 17 seats in Bahrain's 40-member lower house of parliament, which was created eight years ago under a new constitution aimed at easing some Shiite complaints of perceived second-class status.

Shiites have complained of discrimination for decades. They say Sunnis get the best government jobs and housing, while Shiites are barred from high posts in the military and security forces and suffer from higher rates of poverty.