( CNN ) -- A preteen arrested and accused of protesting in Bahrain will not get jail time , authorities said Thursday . The verdict ends the case that had elicited criticism from activists angered that authorities would target an 11-year-old boy . Police arrested Ali Hasan on May 14 and accused him of participating in an `` illegal gathering '' with about a dozen others , according to the Persian Gulf kingdom 's information office . On Thursday , a judge said the 11-year-old was free to go home with his family and would not face detention , according to Luma Bashmi , spokeswoman for the president 's office . The boy will be under observation for the next year and be visited by a social worker every six months , Bashmi said . Hasan 's arrest was part of a government clampdown on protesters in Bahrain . Rights groups have criticized Bahrain for its crackdown on anti-government protests that started in February 2011 spurred by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt . But the protests failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings after Bahraini authorities moved against demonstrators in February and March last year -- backed by troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Protesters and Bahraini authorities have continued to clash , with the opposition accusing the government of being heavy-handed . In November , Bahrain 's Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report highly critical of the crackdown . The commission , set up by the king , concluded that police had used excessive force and torture last year . The report recommended reforms to the country 's laws and better training of its security forces . Boy , 11 , detained in Bahrain crackdown . CNN 's Saad Abedine contributed to this report .
Ali Hasan was arrested on May 14 in Bahrain . He is accused of being a member of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and has been held since then.