Bahrain: Activist Sentenced To 2 Years in Jail, Amnesty Says It Exposes Campaign to Wipe Out Dissent
Local Editor
A Bahrain court sentenced human rights activist Nabeel Rajab to two years in jail on Monday, supporters said, for allegedly making "false or malicious" statements about Bahraini authorities.
Authorities at Bahrain's information affairs office could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy [BIRD] said Rajab had been unable to attend the trial, having been at an interior ministry hospital since his health deteriorated in April. He was detained a year ago.
"This outrageous sentence against someone speaking the truth exhibits the brutality of the Bahraini government and its heinous crimes and that of its kangaroo court," said Sayed Al-Wadaei, director of advocacy at BIRD.
In this respect, Amnesty International considered that the sentencing of Rajab, in his absence, for TV interviews is the latest shocking display of zero tolerance for freedom of expression by the Bahraini authorities, Amnesty International said today.
"Imprisoning Nabeel Rajab simply for sharing his opinion is a flagrant violation of human rights, and an alarming sign that the Bahraini authorities will go to any length to silence criticism," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General.
"Nabeel Rajab should be commended for shedding light on allegations of serious human rights abuses; instead, Bahrain's government and judiciary have once again tightened their chokehold on freedom of expression and branded him a criminal. No one should be jailed for speaking out about human rights."
Nabeel Rajab was jailed in June 2016 over tweets he made that alleged torture in a Bahraini prison, and criticized the killing of civilians in the Yemen conflict by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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