Bahrain to release 126 prisoners amid protests over virus fears

DUBAI: Bahrain announced on Friday it would allow more than 100 inmates to serve the balance of their jail time out of prison, as protesters and rights groups voiced fears over coronavirus cases among detainees.

The public prosecution said in a statement that 126 prisoners would serve the remainder of their sentences in an "alternative" or non-custodial setting, adding that the convicts would be monitored electronically.

Dozens of prisoners’ relatives protested on Friday in the suburbs of the capital Manama amid heavy security to demand the release of their family members, according to social media accounts verified by AFP.

Bahraini authorities said last week that three people at the Gulf kingdom’s Jaw prison were infected with Covid-19. It said they had been isolated and were in stable condition. Citing the interior ministry, the official Bahrain News Agency later reported that a vaccine campaign for all prisoners who registered for it had been completed.