MPs Fairouz, Matar Out of Bahraini Jails

Local Editor

Authorities in Bahrain have released two former opposition lawmakers who were arrested during the recent widespread anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom, media reports said Monday quoting officials.

The two former lawmakers - Jawad Fairooz and Matar Ibrahim Matar - were arrested in May after they resigned from the parliament to protest against the Saudi-backed brutal crackdown on the protesters.
 
Both Fairooz and Matar are members of Bahrain's largest opposition group "Al-Wefaq". They were released along with dozens of other opposition activists arrested in the crackdown.
 
Earlier, the two former lawmakers were prosecuted in a military court on charges of participating in the anti-government protests and defaming the nation. They had pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

The latest move comes after cases linked to the protests were transferred from a military tribunal to civilian courts for review. However, Bahrain has already sentenced eight opposition members to life in prison over their involvement in the pro-democracy protests.

Earlier, the Bahraini government brutally suppressed the civil protests, which began on February 14 demanding political reforms in the nation. It is believed that more than 1,000 opposition supporters were arrested in the ensuing crackdown.


Source : News Agencies