A large number of protesters in Bahrain have staged an anti-regime rally to demand the release of imprisoned political activists.

Bahrainis took to the streets of the northwestern village of Diraz after Friday prayers, holding the pictures of jailed pro-democracy activists and chanting slogans against the Al Khalifa regime.

Similar demonstrations were also held in villages around the capital Manama.

Several anti-regime demonstrators were also injured after Bahraini security forces attacked the peaceful protests.

The angry demonstrators also called on the Bahraini regime to immediately free prominent opposition leader Sheikh Ali Slaman - the secretary general of the main opposition bloc, al-Wefaq National Islamic Society - who was given a four-year prison sentence in June over charges of inciting disobedience and hatred.

The protesters also demanded the release of all political prisoners held in Bahraini jails.

The demonstrations come as UN human rights experts have urged the Manama regime to drop all charges against prominent rights defender Nabeel Rajab following his release for health reasons.

They have described Rajab’s release as only half measure as he is still facing charges that carry up to 15 years of imprisonment. Rajab was sentenced for what Bahraini authorities ruled was insulting public officials and disseminating false news causing damage to the public security.

The experts say rights defenders in Bahrain must be able to carry out their legitimate work without the fear of retaliation or imprisonment.

“Criminalizing, prosecuting and imprisoning human rights defenders for carrying out their vital human rights work and enriching public debate are unacceptable under international law,” the experts stressed on Thursday.

“We call for the immediate release of all Bahraini activists, as well as political dissidents, detained for peaceful exercise of their rights,” the experts noted.

Meanwhile, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on Friday called in a joint letter to the member and observer states of the UN Human Rights Council to “promote and support the adoption of a resolution expressing concern over and improvements in the human rights situation in Bahrain.”

The Bahraini protesters also remembered those killed in the regime’s brutal crackdown since the beginning of a popular uprising in 2011. The ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful rallies has left scores of Bahrainis dead and hundreds of others wounded.