MANAMA, Bahrain: A defense lawyer says a court hearing is planned next week for an 11-year-old boy detained for allegedly taking part in anti-government protests.

The lawyer, Mohsen al-Alawi, says the sixth-grade student is scheduled to appear in court on Monday on charges of joining an illegal gathering and other claims related to the ongoing protests by Bahrain's majority Shiites.

Al-Alawi said on Friday that the boy, Ali Hasan, was arrested last month and took his school exams behind bars. He is among the youngest suspects detained in crackdowns by the Gulf nation's Sunni monarchy.

More than 50 people have died in Bahrain's unrest since 2011.