Ruler of Bahrain pardons 200 prisoners

The ruler of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad Bin Issa al-Khaleifa on Wednesday pardoned 200 persons who took part in the acts of violence that took place in Bahrain in 1994.

The pardon covered 150 political prisoners and 50 others who were about to complete their prison sentences for crimes committed against the state.

Sheikh Hamad who succeeded his father in March, has been pursuing a relative openness policy towards the Shiites and pardoned their main opposition figures, including Sheikh Abdul Ameer al-Jamri. In June, the ruler of Bahrain also pardoned 321 persons who were accused of taking part in the acts of violence. On November 3 the ruler of Bahrain permitted the return of 20 opposition members who had been living in exile, after they pledged "straight behavior."

The Shiite sect in Bahrain calls for returning the National Council (the parliament), which was dissolved in 1975, and for the release of hundreds of political prisoners.