Bahrain’s king takes activists by surprise with pardon for at least 1,500 prisoners

Released detainees include some jailed for political reasons and is UK ally’s biggest amnesty since Arab spring

Bahrain has unconditionally released more than 1,500 prisoners, including political detainees, in the biggest royal pardon since the 2011 Arab spring uprising.

The amnesty followed years of campaigning inside the country and by international human rights groups but came as a complete surprise to activists.