Bahrain's oil company has fired almost 300 employees for taking part in anti-government protests and general strikes in recent weeks, the Gulf kingdom's energy minister has said. Abdulhussain bin Ali Mirza – who also serves as the chief executive of the state-owned Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) – said 293 employees have been dismissed since the King declared martial law on 15 March to quell weeks of demonstrations. Fifty employees were suspended pending investigations by authorities, and 11 board members of the workers' union were referred to the general prosecutor, Mirza told MPs on Tuesday. Authorities have been pursuing Shia opposition supporters who staged street marches to demand greater freedoms, equal rights and an elected government in the island kingdom.