Bahrain to release 80 minors following Gulf Cup win

Bahraini authorities announced on Monday that they will release 80 minors "deceived" to commit the crimes they were accused of, in an unusual way to celebrate their first ever victory in the Gulf Cup football tournament in Qatar. The decision was made by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa after Bahrain defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 and won their first title in the Gulf Cup since the tournament began in 1970, reported the country's General Prosecutor in a statement.

While the team was being celebrated upon arrival from Qatar, with Monday declared a holiday for all officials, the authorities decided to release 80 children who had been "exploited or deceived to commit crimes," according to the statement.

The release will be made under a law enacted in 2017 that allows for alternative sentences, such as serving the remaining years of a prison sentence on probation or performing community service.

"Although the early release of 80 minors is a positive step, it doesn't change the fact that the State still considers them criminals," warned Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), based in London.

In a statement, Alwadaei defended that many of these minors appear to have been convicted on "political charges" and "should never have been prosecuted," while also pointing out that "thousands" of political prisoners continue to languish in prisons after receiving "deeply unfair" sentences.

Regarding the law that allows alternative penalties, he considered its application "highly discriminatory" as there have been cases where political prisoners who meet all the requirements unsuccessfully requested to be eligible for it, including prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

This right was also denied to prisoners Hajer Mansoor and Medina Ali, despite meeting the conditions to be covered by the legislation, according to BIRD. EFE