Bahrain: Hundreds of released political prisoners chanted the slogan of Palestinian freedom

Hundreds of Bahraini political prisoners, who were released on Tuesday, chanted slogans of support for Palestine after their release. Bahraini human rights defender and activist Maryam al-Khaja said in a comment on X channel that the prisoners left the prison “with their heads held high and slogans for Palestine”.

According to New Arab report, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, has released more than 1,500 prisoners, including political prisoners, without conditions. The surprise pardon coincided with Eid al-Fitr and the silver jubilee of the king in power. Many of the detainees were welcomed by their families after years of imprisonment. Some of them were in prison for a decade.

Despite Bahrain’s normalization of relations with Tel Aviv in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, solidarity with Palestine remains strong among Bahraini citizens.

Meanwhile, the director of the Bahrain Institute for Law and Democracy (BIRD), Seyed Ahmed Al-Wodaei, said the release of the news came as a complete shock because “there were no previous indications.”

While some of the released prisoners declared their support for Palestine and chanted slogans against America and Israel, others still demand the release of the detainees.