The story: Bahrain has expanded its freeing of political prisoners. At the same time, reports say at least four of those released under a royal amnesty last month have been rearrested. Dissidents say the amnesty is a step in the right direction but criticize the reported rearrests as well as the exclusion of prominent opposition figures from the pardon. This comes as the full list of those released remains ambiguous.

The coverage: Al-Watan newspaper on Sept. 4 reported that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa granted amnesty to 457 “convicts” on...