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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

Bahrain’s king takes activists by surprise with pardon for at least 1,500 prisoners

Bahrain Prison Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei Hamas United Kingdom United States
two Arab men embracing joyfully
Families gathered in the southern Bahraini city of Hamad to welcome their freed relatives on 8 April. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Bahrain has unconditionally released more than 1,500 prisoners, including political detainees, in the biggest royal pardon since the 2011 Arab spring uprising.

The amnesty followed years of campaigning inside the country and by international human rights groups but came as a complete surprise to activists.

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