Bahrain's opposition held ‘Democracy for Everybody’ protests in capital city Manama on 19 March 2013. Photo by Satraawi Bahrain. Copyright Demotix. A visiting American government official was ordered to leave Bahrain immediately after he met with a few prominent Shi'ite opposition leaders earlier this week. Malinowski's Twitter profile image. According to Bahrain's state news agency BNA, Tom Malinowski, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour had “intervened flagrantly” in the country's internal affairs. The small oil-rich island kingdom is a strategic US ally and has long provided a military base for America's navy in the Middle East. Bahrain, ruled by the Sunni al-Khalifa family, has been facing criticism for its human rights record, ever since the military cracked down on Shi'ite Muslim-led protests against the government in 2011. Low-level protests have continued to simmer, with the country's majority Shi'ite Muslims complaining of political and economic marginalization and demanding more power from the Sunni-led government. The guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke arrives for a port visit in Manama, Bahrain. From the Official US Navy Flickr page. Photo taken May 13, 2014. CC BY 2.0 Malinowski himself explained in a tweet that has so far been retweeted 255 times and counting: Seems #Bahrain government decision not about me but about undermining dialogue. Those committed to reconciliation should not be deterred. — Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) July 8, 2014 Human rights activist Ahmed Ali, who lives in Cardiff, in the UK, says: #Bahrain pro-regime media claims US Assistant Sec @Malinowski at the airport leaving #Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/mbOUmf1PF8 — Ahmed Ali احمد علي (@ahmedali_) July 8, 2014 This pro-government newspaper was owned by the Bahraini King's media advisor Nabeel Alhamer, who previously tweeted [ar]: البحرين تعتبر مساعد وزير الخارجية الامريكي لشئون الديمقراطية وحقوق الانسان شخصا غير مرحب به وعليه مغادرة البحرين لتدخله في الشئون الداخلية — NABEEL ALHAMER (@nalhamer) July 7, 2014 Bahrain considers the US Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor as an unwelcome person and he should leave Bahrain for interfering in its internal affairs The move was met with an international outcry. In a series of tweets, Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth, notes: In expelling top US rights envoy @Malinowski, #Bahrain shows he had it right when he described its “prison island.” http://t.co/qKWxBm9fxy — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 8, 2014 #Bahrain expels US rights chief @Malinowski for meeting w/ wrong people-presumably indep activists, not govt parrots. http://t.co/qTKJlR2KzD — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 7, 2014 And he adds: One #Bahrain goal of expelling US rights envoy @Malinowski: preventing him from meeting rights leader @NabeelRajab. http://t.co/O4HV62RX3s — Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 8, 2014 Leading human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, just released from jail after serving three years for a tweet, said this to his 231K followers [ar]: سيبقى الصديق مالينوسكي شخص محترم وان ما حصل له في #البحرين هو مؤشر على نزاهته وشرفه وان طرده اليوم سيزيد من احترام الناس والحركة الحقوقية له — Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) July 7, 2014 My friend Malinowski is a respectable person and what happened to him in Bahrain is an indication of his honesty. Getting expelled today will increase the respect people and the human rights movement have for him And US-based George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication fellow and commentator for the BBC and Daily Beast Philip Crowley clarifies: What is most remarkable about #Bahrain expelling Asst Sec Tom Malinowski is its clarity. No one can pretend Bahrain is open to reforms. — Philip J. Crowley (@PJCrowley) July 8, 2014 On the other hand, pro-government netizens voiced their support for the move.