Bahrain Crackdown: Court Adjourns Trial of Nabil Rajab for Fourth Time

Local Editor

For the fourth time in a row, a Bahraini court postponed verdict of opposition leader and human rights defender Nabeel Rajab as he remains jailed for his tweets and his human rights activities in violation of his right to freedom of expression.

Furthermore, the health of Rajab had seriously deteriorated since his arrest in June 2016.

After a fifteen minutes hearing during which Nabeel Rajab was not allowed to speak, the High Criminal Court postponed the verdict until December 28, 2016 and refused to release him, after he had spent more than six months in pre-trial detention.

"In a sad parody of justice, Bahraini authorities are punishing Nabeel Rajab for exercising his right to freedom of expression. Mr. Rajab should be released immediately and unconditionally", said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.

Sources said defense lawyers argued for the release of Rajab, who attended the hearing, saying he was innocent of charges of having "insulted" Bahraini and Saudi authorities.

Rajab is facing charges of allegedly "offending a foreign country" [Saudi Arabia] and "offending national institutions" for the comments about the alleged torture of inmates in Bahrain's Jaw Prison in March 2015.

According to the United Nations, the Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen had so far been responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians.

"The detention of one of Bahrain's most prominent defender for speaking out on rights violations sends a chilling message about the status of human rights in the country", said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.

The court turned down the request and adjourned the trial until December 28, the fourth such delay, saying it was awaiting an experts' report on "who is running Nabil Rajab's Twitter account" while he remained behind bars.

Rajab was arrested on June 13 for allegedly "spreading false news and rumors during a time of war".

If he is found guilty, he could face 15 years in prison.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team