Bahrain pardoned 457 prisoners on Wednesday night, a transfer {that a} outstanding rights group stated is optimistic however doesn’t go far sufficient as some key activists usually are not anticipated to be included.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a royal decree pardoning 457 inmates on the twenty fifth anniversary of his ascension to the throne. The official Bahrain Information Company reported that the choice reveals the ruler’s “dedication to fostering social cohesion and upholding the rules of justice and the rule of legislation.”
“It additionally goals to steadiness authorized accountability with the humanitarian and social circumstances of the inmates, offering them with a chance to reintegrate into society,” reported the company.
Who was pardoned? The report didn’t point out who particularly had been pardoned. The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy stated in a put up on X that “political prisoners” are anticipated to be amongst these pardoned.
The group’s advocacy director praised the king’s transfer however stated extra prisoners ought to be launched.
“Whereas these releases signify a major step ahead, the very best path for the nation’s future could be to launch these imprisoned since 2011 for calling for democratic change,” stated Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei within the Wednesday assertion.
Alwadaei named Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, Abduljalil al-Singace and Hassan Mushaima as prisoners who ought to be launched.
“Their releases would flip the web page on a darkish period in Bahrain,” he stated.
The three activists had been amongst these arrested throughout the 2011 Arab Spring protests in Bahrain.
Khawaja’s daughter, Maryam al-Khawaja, stated in a video put up on X Wednesday night time that she is “not very optimistic” her father will probably be launched.
“These are prisoners that ought to have by no means been imprisoned to start with,” she stated, including that she has “heard” political prisoners could also be launched, although she stated there may be “no assure” of what number of or who.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Amnesty Worldwide, Human Rights Watch and varied different teams wrote an open letter to King Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa in December calling for Mushaima’s launch, saying the activist “requires pressing medical remedy that he’s at present not receiving.” He was 75-years-old on the time, per the letter.
The king has pardoned prisoners up to now. He issued a decree pardoning 1,584 prisoners in April and one other pardoning 545 in June.
King Khalifa has served as king since 2002, having beforehand dominated as emir since 1999. He dissolved the place of emir in 2002 and have become king of the Gulf state.
Bahrain launched a brutal crackdown on the 2011 protests with assist from Saudi and Emirati forces. Activists within the Shiite-majority nation have lengthy alleged repression from the Sunni monarchy.
Why it issues: Bahrain’s human rights file has been extensively criticized for its remedy of detainees. In its 2023 report on human rights practices in Bahrain, the US State Division famous that “important human rights points included credible stories of: merciless, inhuman, or degrading remedy or punishment by the federal government; arbitrary arrest or detention; severe issues with the independence of the judiciary; political prisoners or detainees,” amongst different abuses.
Human Rights Watch stated in its 2023 report that each Khawaja and Singace had been “with out entry to sufficient medical care” in jail, including “authorities failed to carry officers accountable for torture and ill-treatment in detention.”
Bahrain is a non-NATO ally of the US and aligns with Washington on some regional points, regardless of the criticism. Bahrain was the one Arab state to help the US and UK strikes towards the Houthi rebels in Yemen in January.
Know extra: Alwadaei instructed the Related Press that the pardon “does appear to be additionally coming inside a regional context the place Bahrain is attempting to normalize with Iran.”
Like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain reduce ties with Iran in 2016 after the assault on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The incident adopted the execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
In June, Bahrain and Iran’s international ministers met in Tehran and agreed to begin talks on resuming relations.
Bahrain’s overtures towards Iran adopted Saudi Arabia and Iran resuming relations final yr in a deal brokered by China.