Bahrain has unconditionally released more than 1,500 prisoners, including political prisoners, in the largest royal amnesty since the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
The amnesty came after years of campaigning by local and international human rights groups, but came as a complete surprise to activists.
Amnesty Bahrain said: “This is a welcome step. [the prisoners] He should never have been jailed in the first place.”
The releases were ordered by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and coincided with Eid and the 25th anniversary of the king’s rise to power. The US Embassy in Bahrain welcomed the move and expressed hope that all those released would be able to be reunited with their families.
Freed prisoners in Hamad, Bahrain, on April 8. Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images
Many of the detainees are being held in Jau Prison, where activists say more than 600 political prisoners remain, some of whom are in urgent need of medical assistance. Recent riots in the prison have put the cost of housing so many prisoners at a strain on the government.
The changes are also an opportunity for Bahrain to improve its international image, increase foreign direct investment and boost tourism. The changes follow a visit by Bahrain’s crown prince to Saudi Arabia, which could have led to Saudi Arabia’s support for the changes.
Social media showed happy scenes of families reuniting at home, some of whom had not been home for a decade.
But Saeed Ahmed Al-Wadai, advocacy director at the UK-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: “This is a total shock. There was no warning beforehand and this is the most significant release programme since 2011. The releases are bittersweet as there are still 600 political prisoners in prison or on death row.”
Al-Wadaei, whose two brothers-in-law are among the released prisoners, said: “The release coincides with great unrest in Bahrain over the state’s support for Israel, but also with major unrest in Jau prison, where around 1,000 political prisoners have refused to return to their cells because of ill-treatment.”
Some of those released shouted slogans against the continuing US and Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Bahrain, a close ally of Britain and home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, is the only Gulf state to publicly support the U.S.-led maritime coalition trying to stop Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that began after an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Bahrain has performed a delicate balancing act in criticizing Israel even as it has normalized ties with Israel and has been vocal in its criticism of Hamas atrocities.
Among those detained are Hassan Mushaimah, leader of the opposition group Al-Haq, and Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a Danish-Bahraini human rights activist serving a life sentence in Bahrain for his peaceful human rights activism.
A Bahraini government spokesman said: “The royal pardon marks a milestone in the long journey of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
“Bahrain has one of the lowest recidivism rates internationally for people held in alternative sentences and open prisons, at 2.5 percent.”
