Bahrain frees activists after violent protest-lawyer

MANAMA, Feb 2 (Reuters) Bahrain today released a Shi'ite opposition figure and a human rights activist after their arrest earlier in the day sparked a violent protest, one of their lawyers said.

Riot police clashed with about 200 Shi'ites protesting against the arrest of Hassan Mushaima, the head of the Haaq Movement for Liberty and Democratic Bahrain, and Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

The police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters who burned tyres and hurled stones at policemen while chanting anti-government slogans.

Some protesters said at least 10 people were wounded by rubber bullets. The number could not be confirmed by independent sources, but a Reuters witness saw one wounded protester.

Lawyer Abdulla al-Shamlawi said the two men were arrested today morning on suspicion of fomenting civil strife and seeking political change through illegitimate means, but that they were later freed.

It was not clear if their release was linked to the protest and officials were not immediately available for comment.

''If the government wants to take it further they will refer them to court, but I think they might have just wanted to scare them,'' Shamlawi said.

A Haaq spokesman said the authorities accused them of distributing a report that alleges wrongdoings by the government to undermine the political rights of Bahrain's Shi'ite majority.

Sunni-ruled Bahrain witnessed political unrest in the 1980s and 1990s, mostly by Shi'ites demanding more rights.

Haaq comprises Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim activists.

Bahrain's biggest Shi'ite opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, which won 17 of parliament's 40 seats late last year, said its chief would be meeting with the interior minister to resolve the issue.

Wefaq said in a statement that the arrests ''happened in a non-humanitarian manner and threaten progress of freedom of speech'' in the Gulf Arab kingdom.

''With the arrest of these people they are bringing the fire to their own houses ... they will pay for it,'' said Jaafari, one of the protesters.

After succeeding his late father in 1999, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa introduced some political reforms and pardoned political prisoners.

Reuters SBA VP0158