Bahraini authorities release prisoners due to fears of coronavirus outbreak

The American newspaper The New York Times said in a report that the ruling authorities in Bahrain has released a group of prisoners, due to fears of the spread of coronavirus in

The American newspaper The New York Times said in a report that the ruling authorities in Bahrain has released a group of prisoners, due to fears of the spread of coronavirus in the prisons.

“Bahrain has released 1,500 prisoners, 900 of whom have been pardoned, and it appears that this step aims to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in detention centers,” the newspaper said in a report on the implications of the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East.

Regarding the release of political detainees, the newspaper said, “It was not immediately clear whether the released activists were opposition activists who were arrested as part of the crackdown that targeted the Bahraini opposition for years.”

Al-Khalifa issued a decision to pardon a large number of prisoners whose sentence is about to expire, including prisoners who committed criminal crimes. 

Political detainees suffer from deteriorating health conditions, and several international human rights organizations and European parliamentarians have issued invitations to the Bahraini authorities, calling on them to abide by covenants and international conventions relating to the rights of prisoners.