Punishing Dissent in Bahrain

NYT

Nabeel Rajab, a prominent human rights activist in Bahrain, has racked up a long rap sheet of trumped-up charges over the past decade for peacefully exercising his right to criticize the government. The latest charges illustrate how far the gulf nation's leaders are willing to go to crush dissent.

On Monday, prosecutors in Bahrain announced that Mr. Rajab had been charged with "deliberate dissemination of false news and spreading tendentious rumors that undermine the prestige of the state."

His supposed offense? Writing an op-ed article, titled "Letter from a Bahraini Jail," which was published Sunday in The Times. Describing himself as one of roughly 4,000 political prisoners in Bahrain, Mr. Rajab, who has been in custody since June, wrote that "no one has been properly held to account for systematic abuses that have affected thousands" in the Shiite-majority nation, which is ruled by a Sunni monarchy.

The new charges could add to the 15 years Mr. Rajab faces in a separate case, based on views he shared on Twitter regarding reports of torture at Bahrain's Jaw Prison and civilian deaths in the Saudi military campaign in Yemen, which Bahrain supports. The court handling Mr. Rajab's case stemming from the Twitter postings is expected to announce a verdict in early October.

The United States and other allies of Bahrain could make clear to the country's rulers that any damage to the state's prestige and world standing is a result of their political persecution. The Obama administration has at times spoken out against the crackdown on dissidents, which intensified in 2011. On Tuesday, a State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, called for Mr. Rajab's immediate release. But too often Washington has merely accepted the government's hollow pledges to uphold basic rights, when in fact little changes.

The United States has been reticent to confront Bahrain more forcefully because the tiny island nation hosts roughly 8,000 American military personnel, including those assigned to the Navy's Fifth Fleet, which the Pentagon has long regarded as a bulwark against threats from Iran. The American military presence in Bahrain has grown in recent years as the War Department has embarked on a $580 million expansion project.

Officials in Washington have also been worried about the prospect of a significantly emboldened Shiite opposition in Bahrain, fearing it could give Iran, which is run by Shiites, a potential ally to undermine American interests in the region.

Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry lifted a partial weapons ban for Bahrain, crediting the government with making "meaningful progress on human rights reforms and reconciliation." That was a mistake. It now seems clear that Bahrain's leaders interpreted the gesture as a green light to continue abusing citizens who have peacefully pressed the government to adopt democratic political reforms.

Bahrain's unrelenting repression of critics, including the dissolution of the main opposition bloc, Al Wefaq, in June, should prompt the Obama administration and the next American president to seriously consider finding alternative hubs in the region for its military personnel. There may be no ideal options. But continuing to rely on rulers who have responded to dissent with torture, tear gas, jail cells and travel bans is not a defensible long-term strategy.