Bahraini activist on ‘absurd’ charges leaves prison

DUBAI: A prominent Bahraini activist was released on Thursday after completing a three-year prison term on charges that rights groups said were fabricated as an act of reprisal against government critics.

Hajer Mansoor, 51, her son and nephew were sentenced to prison in October 2017 after being accused of planting a fake bomb in a district south of the capital Manama. Activist groups said the case was designed to intimidate Bahraini activists, including her London-based son-in-law Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.

"After three years of suffering, my mother-in-law, Hajer, was released and is on her way home now," tweeted Alwadaei, head of advocacy for the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD).

Mansoor’s son, Sayed Nizar Alwadaei -- who was 18 at the time of his arrest -- was sentenced to 11 years behind bars, while her nephew Mahmood Marzooq Mansoor is due to be released in a month, according to BIRD.

"It is time for the government to end this petty vendetta and release my family members," Alwadaei said in a statement issued by rights groups including Amnesty.

Bahrain, a key US ally located between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been gripped by bouts of unrest since 2011, when authorities cracked down on Shiite-led protests demanding political reform.

Since then, hundreds of protesters have been jailed or stripped of their nationality, with Bahrain claiming Iran trained and backed demonstrators in order to topple the Manama government. Iran denies the accusation.

"Hajer Mansoor was imprisoned for three years on patently absurd charges based solely on her family relationship with Alwadaei," Amnesty said in the statement.