King of Bahrain's royal wedding invitation questioned

Human rights campaigners are questioning the King of Bahrain's invitation to the British royal wedding.

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has come under fire for the way he continues to deal with unrest in his country, which has seen reports of up to eight people being killed recently as security forces have moved to quell protests in the capital, Manama.

Injuries are also thought to be widespread and include medical personnel injured during a police raid on the country's main hospital this week.

Despite this, King Hamad is set to be a guest at the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29.

Buckingham Palace has so far refused to confirm whether the king will be attending the ceremony.

The U.N.'s human rights commissioner, Navi Pillay, has condemned Bahrain's government for its "shocking and illegal conduct" and systematic "harassment and intimidation of health professionals," in the hospital incident.

Despite having close ties to Bahrain, the US state department has rebuked the king for using "excessive force and violence".

Buckingham Palace has said it will not release an official guest list before a royal wedding. It has been suggested that King Hamad may send a representative for his state instead of attending personally, to avoid any embarrassing scenes which could result.