Jailed daughter of Bahrain rights activist freed

A lawyer for Bahraini activist Zainab al-Khawaja says she has been released from prison after nearly a year behind bars for multiple convictions including participation in an illegal gathering.

Lawyer Mohammed al-Wasti told the Associated Press today that al-Khawaja was released earlier in the day and was heading home.

Al-Khawaja is the daughter of prominent human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is among several opposition figures who are serving life sentences. He drew attention to his imprisonment with a lengthy hunger strike in 2012.

Bahrain's majority Shiites have led a three-year uprising seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled Gulf kingdom, which is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.