Bahrain's crown prince has declined an invitation to attend Britain's royal wedding on Friday because of ongoing unrest in that Gulf nation.
Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa on Sunday sent his regrets to Prince Charles that he will not be attending the wedding of Charles' son Prince William to Kate Middleton.
British media have criticized the wedding invitation to Bahrain's crown prince because of the bloody crackdown in his country against protesters calling for more freedoms.
The crown prince of Bahrain said in his letter to Prince Charles that he delayed sending his regrets in hopes that the situation in the Gulf nation would improve and leave him able to attend.
The Bahraini government has imposed martial law and invited troops from mainly Sunni-led neighboring states to help quell the uprising by mostly Shi'ite protesters.
Bahraini officials said earlier this month that 24 people have died in the unrest. Amnesty International said last week that the government had arrested more than 500 people over the last month.
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