MANAMA – Bahrain says a royal pardon for some protest-linked suspects includes a 20-year-old woman sentenced to a year in prison for reciting poetry critical of the Gulf nation’s crackdown on an uprising.
A statement Tuesday from Bahrain’s information authority says the king’s pardon extends to Ayat al-Qurmezi, who gained prominence for verses denouncing the attacks on Shia-led protesters.
The statement, however, did not give the full total of those pardoned Sunday by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
Al-Qurmezi was convicted in June of anti-state charges. Hundreds of people were arrested after protests began in February.
Bahrain’s majority Shia claim they face widespread discrimination by Sunni rulers.
