UN chief Ban Ki-moon has slammed the use of violence to suppress anti-government protests in the Middle East, and asked the Arab leaders to instead learn lessons and deliver bold reforms.

Commenting on the violent police raid on pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain, the UN Secretary General said that the reports from Bahrain overnight are deeply troubling.

He said the protests had been sparked by people’s frustration at the lack of jobs and the lack of freedom of expression. That is the lesson, which the leaders should learn and try to change, as soon as possible, reflecting such strong voices from their own people, he said.

Pro-democracy protests have raged in the Arab world ever since successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt threw out autocratic regimes. Protests have been witnessed in Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen and Jordan.