Bahrain temporarily frees female activist detained on 'terrorism' charges

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said on Monday that Ebtisam al-Sayegh had been temporarily freed after being detained since July 3.

The human rights activist was arrested after retweeting a series of posts critical of Bahrain's king and its security agency and charged later the same month with "terrorism".

She was released from a Manama prison late on Sunday pending a trial.

Amnesty International previously warned Sayegh was at risk of torture after she accused Bahraini security services of torture and sexual assault during a previous arrest in May.

The BIRD institute added activists Radhi al-Qatari and Mohamed al-Shakhoori had also been released.

Bahrain's state-run media did not immediately report on the release and the justice ministry has not responded to requests for a comment. 

Bahrain, a small island off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, put down Arab Spring-inspired uprisings in 2011.

The protests were backed by the Shia majority and others, and were aimed at demanded an elected government.

After the protest, Bahrain intensified a crackdown on critics, shutting down two main political groups, revoking the citizenship of the spiritual leader of the Shia Muslim community and jailing rights campaigners.