Maryam Al-Khawaja: Bahrain Pro-Democracy Activist Released from Jail

Prominent Bahraini human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja has been released from jail with a travel ban in place, according to the Gulf state's interior ministry.

Al-Khawaja, who was travelling to Bahrain to visit her jailed father, pro-democracy activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, was detained early in September after her arrival at Manama airport and accused of assaulting a policewoman. She was released dependent on a guarantee of her place of residence and travel ban.

Al-Khawaja holds dual Bahraini and Danish citizenship, and is co-director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) which has offices in Copenhagen and Beirut. Her mother said that she was refused entry in the country after presenting her Danish passport and a Bahraini identification card.

Another Bahraini activist, Nabeel Rajab, who was recently freed after spending two years in prison for taking part in "illegal gatherings" in the Gulf country, told IBTimes UK that Al-Khawaja was likely to be charged after resisting forceful arrest by the police.

"Assaulting police is a common charge in Bahrain when they have nothing against you," he said. "They wanted to take her by force and she refused".

Al-Khawaja was previously prevented from boarding a British flight to Bahrain because of a ban issued by the government of the Gulf kingdom.

Her father Abdulhadi, 54, is jailed for life for plotting to overthrow the kingdom. He staged a 110-day hunger strike in 2012 over his imprisonment, and sent a letter to the prison authorities saying that "he would go on a hunger strike until he is released".

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch describe Abdulhadi as a "prisoner of conscience."