The paradox lies in the fact that within less than 24 hours the Bahraini judiciary issued a 3-year prison term against the drunk Asian bus driver who claimed the life of a Bahraini citizen in an accident, while rejecting a request submitted by the internationally-known human rights defender Nabeel Rajab to change the rest of his prison term in accordance with the Alternative Penalty Law.

The Appeals Court is expected to consider tomorrow (Tuesday, September 17, 2019) a request submitted by Nabeel Rajab's lawyer to replace his imprisonment sentence.

Public Prosecutor Ali Al-Buainain said that 756 convicts have so far benefited from the law on alternative punishments. Human rights organizations are calling to expand the beneficiaries to include political prisoners.

Family of prisoner of conscience and leader in Amal Society, Khalil Al-Halwachi, said that the authorities have officially rejected to alternate his prison term verdict with another one within the alternative punishment law.

The Public Prosecution said that the number of convicts who made use of the alternative punishment since its implementation on May has reached 586, noting that they didn't include political prisoners.

Justice Ministry Undersecretary Wael Rashid Boualley said that number of government bodies which are taking part in providing community services, rehabilitation and training program increased, thus the overall number of work types reached 107 to accommodate more than 775 individuals within the alternative penalties program.

The Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced that it released arms and drugs dealer Abdulrahman Khalifa Al-Dhahrani on Thursday (May 23, 2019). It, however, denied that the king released him, stressing that his release came through the judiciary, which is claimed to be an independent authority.

From among the 5,000 political prisoners in Bahrain, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has released none. Of the 5,000 political prisoners, only one has been sentenced to alternative punishment.