On February 23, 2011, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahrawi, a dentist, was released from prison in Manama, Bahrain’s capital. He was among a group of 23 Shi’a Muslim opposition activists arrested in mid August 2010 in the run up to the October 2010 parliamentary elections. Dr. al-Sahrawi was subsequently charged with forming an illegal organization, aiming to overthrow the predominantly Sunni Muslim Bahraini government and dissolve the Constitution, inciting people to “overthrow and change the political system,” and fundraising and planning terrorist acts. According to Amnesty International, one of the group’s lawyers stated that it is not clear whether the 23 men were given royal pardons or whether the case against them could be reinstated at a later date. Dr. al-Sahrawi and the 21 other opposition activists were among a total of more than 250 detainees released on the orders of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, reportedly in response to demands made by protestors in the country seeking political reform.

Dr. al-Sahrawi is a board member of the banned Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. He reportedly was arrested at his home on August 17, 2010. He was held incommunicado during his detention without access to family or legal counsel.