Dubai -
A Bahrain juvenile court on Thursday released from custody a 13-year-old boy jailed last month for allegedly assaulting a police officer, pending a court hearing later this month, his lawyers said.
The minor, Yasin Abduljalil Sheber, appeared before the court and denied any wrongdoing, his lawyers said, adding that the court set a hearing for May 27.
Sheber, a Shiite, is accused of having assaulted a police officer and tearing his shirt and also faces charges of “inciting violence” and “gathering” illegally in a public place, according to his lawyers.
He was arrested on April 29 in Issa Town, south of the capital Manama and his lawyers say that he was “beaten and tortured” while in police custody.
Also on April 29, police arrested another 13-year-old boy, Abdulkarim Hasan, in a separate town on the outskirts of Manama.
Hasan, also a Shiite, is facing charges of taking part in “gatherings and riots” and has alleged that he was “beaten with batons” by police, according to lawyers.
There were no updates Thursday on Hasan's fate.
Tensions remain high in Bahrain where a month-long Shiite-led uprising was crushed in March 2011. In recent months, anti-government demonstrations have intensified as protesters sporadically clash with the police.
According to the London-based watch-dog Amnesty International, 60 people have been killed since the kingdom's Arab Spring protests first erupted in February last year. - Sapa-AFP