DUBAI: Bahraini authorities have rejected a visa request by AFP to cover the first anniversary of the pro-democracy Shiite-led protest that was brutally crushed.

The Information Affairs Authority told AFP on Tuesday it was unable to process a visa for one of its reporters "due to the high volume of applications."

The authorities have yet to respond to AFP's request to accredit a local photographer, after having banned AFP's local correspondent from reporting last spring.

Several other international media organizations told AFP their requests for visas to the Gulf kingdom had also been turned down.

The decision comes as activists prepare to commemorate the anniversary of the month-long protest that began on February 14, taking its cue from Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Activists have announced plans to march to Manama's former Pearl Square, the focal point of the protest, which was razed after a deadly crackdown on the movement in mid-March.

The clampdown led to the deaths of 35 people, including five security personnel and five detainees who were tortured to death, an independent commission of inquiry appointed by King Hamad found.