As nations across the globe struggle with the spread of the novel coronavirus, Bahrain has ordered the release of hundreds of prisoners, part of a thinly veiled effort to contain the pandemic, rights groups contend.

On Thursday, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a decree granting pardon for 901 prisoners. A further 585 inmates will serve out the rest of their sentences in rehabilitation and training programs, the state-run Bahrain news agency reported.

As of today, there were 210 cases of COVID-19 reported in the small Gulf kingdom, which has a population of nearly 1.7 million, making it one of the countries with the highest rate of the virus per capita. It is the fourth most densely populated country in the world. Fellow Gulf neighbors Kuwait and Qatar have seen a big jump in confirmed cases this week but no deaths have been recorded in any of the Gulf Arab states so far.

Formula One (F1) announced today that the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, a major car racing event that was due to take place March 20-22, had been postponed over coronavirus worries. Rights groups charge the government uses the event to “sportswash” rights abuses. “It is regrettable that it took a global pandemic to compel F1 to take drastic action, while human rights abuses linked to the race continue to be ignored,” said Sayed Ahmed Alwadei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.