Human rights organizations say a Bahraini activist who is eight months pregnant has been detained for "insulting" the king after she tore up his photograph in court.

Human Rights Watch said Thursday Zainab al-Khawaja appeared before a Bahraini court to face charges related to two previous incidents in which she tore up photographs of the king.

Once in the courtroom on Wednesday, she pulled out and ripped up another photograph of the monarch. She was detained for seven days on charges of insulting the head of state.

Amnesty International says al-Khawaja could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Her father, prominent activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is serving a life sentence for his role in the 2011 protests by majority Shiites demanding greater rights form the Sunni-led government.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/113269.aspx