US prisoner released following Royal Pardon

Manama : A controversial US prisoner in Bahrain was recently set free following a Royal Pardon issued by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Twenty-eight-year-old Taqi Al Maidan was convicted of assaulting a police officer and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in September 2013.

The latest edition of the official gazette, published on April 28, reported that Royal Decree 27 of 2016 instructs to release Al Maidan and drop the remaining period of his sentence.

However, the decree is dated on April 20, but is instructing to come into effect on the next day of being published in the official gazette (April 29).

Al Maidan’s case became a controversial matter when Reuters reported in 2012 that he was allegedly “detained innocently and was subjected to torture.” Meanwhile, human rights groups have not reported any tortures against Al Maidan.

Other Western reports said, “Al Maidan was born in the United States in 1988 where his Saudi father studied for a Masters degree in Public Health at Yale University… As Al Maidan was born on American soil he is a US national,” it was reported.

It was also mentioned that “the US State Department and the American Embassy in Bahrain have interceded and Al Maidan was allowed to meet his family several times.”

However, Al Maidan, who lives in Sanabis, was not available for a comment.