Congratulations Ali!

Last night, in an apparent move to appease the protesters who have been gaining increasing attention in recent days, the King of Bahrain ordered the release of a number of the country's political protesters. Ali Abdulemam was released at about 2.00am. Apparently he had no idea of the ongoing protests and instability in Bahrain until after his release.

I've previously written about Ali here and here. The BBC spoke to Ali after his arrest today and report on it here. Front Line reported on his release this morning.

It's a bit unnecessary to say that this is great news. Often enough in Front Line we used to lament the lack of good news in our line of work; it comes few and far between the reports of atrocities and violations. So today I was happy just to have the opportunity to email my former colleagues and raise a coffee mug to Ali, his family and his fellow prisoners of conscience who have finally been released. And indeed to Bahrain, where protests in recent days have seen huge sections of the population peacefully taking part - up to 100,000 in a country of only about 600,000 people - and which so far has avoided the large scale violence of Libya.

I don't want to get too swept up in the euphoria or the "feel good" moment pictured in Manama last night. This does not solve Bahrain's problems and will not make the protests go away (nor do I want it to - and I'd be certain that Ali doesn't). And the release of these political prisoners today should not detract from the fact that many others - perhaps up to 300 - remain unjustly in detention. But in celebrating this small achievement of justice as part of the larger picture of ongoing human rights violations in the Middle East region, I feel that it is a moment worth acknowledging and enjoying for what it is.

I think this picture of Ali reuniting with his wife says it all. But perhaps even more so, maybe the meaning of this release is embodied best in this photo below, taken this afternoon of Ali walking to Pearl Square in Manama, the centre of protests and Bahrain's Tahrir Square. Probably unimaginable even days ago.

Photo courtesy of AP