Amnesty International on Friday urged Bahrain to free prisoners of conscience, probe alleged abuses and hold to account those responsible for a brutal crackdown on protesters. In a briefing issued ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix Formula One race next week, Amnesty said there was a continuing human rights crisis in the Sunni-ruled Gulf state which has a Shiite majority. It called on the Bahraini government “to show real political will for reforms in the country,” in an emailed statement received by AFP. The London-based watchdog urged Bahrain to “immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience” sentenced “solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression.” Among them were 14 opposition leaders, it said without naming them. Amnesty called on the government to “set up prompt, thorough and independent investigations into all allegations of torture, deaths in custody and unlawful killings… committed since the beginning of the February 2011 protests.”
