His youngest son Nidal was an infant when Naji Fateh was arrested in the aftermath of Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprisings.
When Fatil left prison last month on a bus carrying prisoners released in a surprise royal pardon, Nidal was a teenager who greeted him. Fatil, a 49-year-old human rights activist, hugged his son and emerged stunned into a life forever changed.
“My first hug after being free was an indescribable moment,” he said.
After more than a decade in prison, Fatil was released in April in a mass amnesty that included more than 1,500 prisoners. This is the largest amnesty since the reign of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa began in 1999.
The government press office did not say how many people remain behind bars in the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain. However, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, a human rights group run by Bahraini exiles, estimates that the amnesty has freed more than half of the country’s prison population, including more than 600 political prisoners.
Many of them, including Mr. Fatih, were imprisoned after taking part in pro-democracy protests in 2011, which turned into protracted riots and led to protests in neighboring countries by the authoritarian monarchy, a key U.S. ally. It was suppressed with military support.
The Bahraini government described the pardon as an act of mercy from the King to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, and said it was done “to maintain the cohesion and stability of Bahraini society.” Bahraini authorities say the pardonees were convicted of “riot and criminal cases” and deny that prisoners are being held for political reasons.
But Bahraini human rights activists said the amnesty, while welcome, was incomplete, and called for the release of several opposition leaders who remain in prison. The pardon comes two weeks after the death of a Bahraini prisoner in his 30s sparked protests among prisoners and in the streets.
Anger and grief over Israel’s air strikes on Gaza have deepened political tensions in Bahrain and many other Arab countries, with the divide between leaders and people at its sharpest in years.
Analysts and activists say that even before the war, Bahrain was on edge due to ongoing friction between the government and anti-government movement since the suppression of a pro-democracy movement. In August, hundreds of prisoners went on a massive hunger strike that lasted several weeks, sparking street protests.
After the deceased prisoner, Hussein Khalil Ibrahim, suffered a heart attack while playing soccer, Fatil led a group of inmates who tried to negotiate with the prison administration over the possibility of his release, and it was considered unlikely that he would be kept in custody. He claimed that there was no. He was imprisoned “watching our comrades fall one by one.” Prisoners accused authorities of chronic medical neglect.
Bahrain’s government said Ibrahim was receiving regular medical treatment for high blood pressure and other illnesses, adding that it was committed to “providing comprehensive medical care to all prisoners.” .
In an interview after his release, Fatil said the years he spent behind bars were marked by “oppression, pain and heartbreak.”
Prosecutors have accused him of being a leading organizer of the Arab Spring protests aimed at overthrowing the government, and Bahraini activists and Western politicians have spent years calling for his release. He was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was charged with inciting a prison riot and sentenced to an additional 10 years. Mr. Fatehle denied his charges as “politicized” and said his confession was extracted under torture.
The United Nations working group that reviewed his case determined that his imprisonment was arbitrary and said the government “failed to establish a legal basis” for his detention. The same working group documented accusations that Mr. Fatehle had been subjected to torture, including beatings and electrocution.
In its response to the working group, the government said Mr Fatehle was “a member of a terrorist organization” and that his allegations of abuse were “baseless”.
Fatil, who was 38 years old at the time of his arrest, had spent his 40th birthday in prison and was scheduled to spend his 50th birthday there, away from his five children.
When he heard last month that he might be granted a royal pardon, he said: “It was the best news of my life.”
Hamed al-Mahfouz, 41, who was released on an amnesty, said he felt conflicted when he learned that while he would be released, others would not.
“I left my brothers behind and I feel sorry for them,” he said. “But it’s nice to see the people you love.”
Mr Al Mahfouz was 28 years old at the time of his arrest. Prosecutors accused him of leading a terrorist organization and of communicating with Iranian officials. He said he thought he had presented “conclusive evidence” to the court proving his innocence, but he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and his citizenship was revoked.
When news of the king’s pardon arrived, his wife Iman Hussein said she initially lost hope that she would be among those released. Later, when her relatives sent her a video of a released prisoner showing her husband, she began “screaming with joy,” she said. Human rights activists in Bahrain said: video People cheer on the street as buses drop off prisoners.
While happy to be back home, Al Mahfouz said he was unsure of what the future holds and wanted “compensation for the years I lost” and help finding a job.
The government said in a statement that the reintegration program will support released prisoners with “a range of education and training programmes, employment opportunities and targeted interventions necessary to manage their reintegration into society”.
Mr Fatale said it was difficult to imagine his future.
“I made plans in prison and created projects and scenarios for when I was released,” he said. “But when I got out, I still couldn’t believe it.”
He realized that life outside went on without him. He struggled to use a smartphone and even a fork and spoon seemed like a novelty to him after years of eating with his hands, he said. He did not know his daughters’ husbands and met his grandchildren, who were born while in prison. He appreciated the pardon, but said he expected the government to take steps to address the “moral, psychological and material harm” suffered by the prisoners.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy has confirmed that political prisoners include several prominent Bahrain rebels, including Hassan Mushaima, 76, a former leader of the Haq Movement for Freedom and Democracy, and Abdulhadi Al Khawaja. It is believed that more than 500 people are still detained. Dual Bahrain-Danish citizen and human rights activist.
“It’s a bittersweet release because these things are still there,” said Saeed Ahmed al-Wadaei, the institute’s advocacy director.
Still, Nabeel Rajab, 59, a Bahraini human rights activist who was himself released in 2020, said it was positive to see so many prisoners released.
“The royal pardon has given us hope for a new beginning,” he said.
