Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said that "Open Prison" stage will begin during the holy month of Ramadan in "buildings equipped according to the best standards."

The Interior Ministry said that there are 48 beneficiaries of the "open prison program" and 4766 beneficiaries of "alternative punishment" since the actual application of the law.

Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Samir Nass confirmed that private companies will participate in the implementation of alternative sanctions, amid fears of violating labor laws.

Prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab said he ended the alternative punishment program, which lasted for nearly two years, which means he regained his full freedom.

Legal counsel Ibrahim Sarhan said the amendments to the Alternative Penal Code limited the identification of the lists of beneficiaries from this law to the Interior Minister's son.

Activist Ali Mushaima, son of detained leader Hasan Mushaima, said his father, leader of the Haq movement, has been living in isolation for 10 months as a punishment for refusing parole under Alternative Penal Code.

Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa briefed the newly appointed US Ambassador Steven C. Bondy on implementations of alternative penalties and open prisons programs.

The General Directorate of Verdicts Implementation and Alternative Penalties, directed by Khalid bin Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, son of Interior Minister, announced the graduation of "Alternative penalties" course, in the presence of the British Deputy Ambassador, Stuart Summers.

A US-Bahraini joint statement said at the end of the U.S.-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue that the two sides "engaged in constructive dialogue on how best to advance human rights, including freedom of expression, and Bahrain's government shared its plan to advance societal and legal reforms."

The government of Bahrain has announced a series of measures aimed at expanding alternative penalties in parallel with the start of the open prisons program, with the aim of containing human rights criticism, which has long been a problem for the kingdom and has embarrassed it in front of the international community.

The Interior Ministry said the total number of beneficiaries of the Alternative Penal Code since it was applied in May 2018 has reached 3725.

Human rights activist Ibtisam Al-Saegh said that the procedures to release detainees took more than 20 hours, dubbing these measures "exhausting".

The Bahraini authorities released 7 political detainees, who have served more than three quarters of their prison terms, under the alternative penal code.

The Bahraini authorities released on Tuesday (January 25, 2022) photographer Ahmad Hmaidan within the alternative penal code.

The Bahraini security authorities released Hasan Ahmed Jaafar Al-Jamri, and although this release coincided with the issuance of a special pardon decree for 105 prisoners, Al-Jamri was released under the alternative penalty law.

The Interior Ministry said that 369 prisoners failed to apply the requirements of the Alternative Penal Code and were sent back to prison.

The head of the monitoring and documentation unit at Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Inas Aoun, said that the Center recorded, yesterday, April 11, 2021, the release of about 60 political prisoners during the past three days.

The Bahrain Press Association said it applauds "the release of some political prisoners in Bahrain under the Alternative Penal Code."

Head of the Monitoring and Documentation Unit at Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Inas Aoun, announced that the number of released political prisoners has risen up to 51 within two days.

The security authorities in Bahrain released Friday evening (April 9, 2021) Sayed Kamel Al-Hashemi, who was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, of which he had served more than two and a half years.