[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The sentencing of Nabeel Rajab, an Index Freedom of Expression Award winner for his work defending human rights in Bahrain, underscores the decline of freedom of expression in the Gulf country.
Rajab was sentenced on Monday 10 July to two years in prison for speaking to journalists.
“The decision to sentence Nabeel to two years in prison reiterates the draconian approach Bahrain’s government takes toward non-violent dissent. This is a true miscarriage of justice that strips bare even the veneer of legality that Bahraini authorities like to show the rest of the world. Nabeel expressed opinions about the state of his own country and should not be penalised for free speech,” Melody Patry, head of advocacy at Index on Censorship, said.
Rajab, who is president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was sentenced in absentia. He has been hospitalised since April.
Arrested on 13 June 2016, Rajab has spent the last year in pre-trial detention, largely in solitary confinement and deplorable conditions.
Rajab also faces trial on 7 August in a separate case related to his tweeting against the Saudi coalition’s war in Yemen, which Bahrain is part of, as well as speaking out against torture in Bahraini prisons. He faces up to 15 years in prison on other charges, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”94125″ img_size=”full”][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1499705443530-4f8668e7-7a47-7″ taxonomies=”3368, 716″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The trial of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been delayed yet again.He was due to stand trial on Sunday 2 July, but this was postponed until 3 July and again until 10 July.
Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and Index award winner, was arrested on 13 June 2016 and remains in prison despite a court order to release him on 28 December 2016. He faces four separate legal cases, the trials for two of which have been postponed over 20 times.
“We are particularly concerned about Rajab’s health, which continues to deteriorate due to the poor conditions and mistreatment he receives in prison,” said Melody Patry, head of advocacy at Index on Censorship. On 5 April 2017, Rajab underwent major surgery at a military hospital to remove ulcerated tissue from his lower back. He was returned to his cell at East Riffa Police Station two days later against medical recommendations.
“My father’s fate is unknown. He might end up in a prison cell for the next 18 years, so it’s difficult and tiring for him and for our family,” Rajab’s son Adam Rajab told Index today. “However, that does not mean he will ever stop his struggle for rights and freedom.”
“We all know that my father will be released if he guarantees them that he will be silent, but he will not,” Adam added. “He will always be a voice for the victims of human rights abuses and he will always stand against oppressors and dictators. As he always says ‘I am willing to pay the price for freedom and democracy.'”
Index continues to express concern over the treatment of many human rights defenders in Bahrain including women’s rights activist Ebtisam Al-Sayegh, who this week was arrested following a raid on her home and now risks being tortured. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”6″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1499332927690-0ca55f53-22f9-3″ taxonomies=”3368″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
One protester, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Human Rights and Democracy, stepped onto the embassy’s steps to hold a poster of Rajab’s face by the embassy’s door. Alwadaei was arrested a few minutes later and taken away in a police car.
Police told Index Alwadaei “overstepped the mark of peaceful protest and trespassed diplomatic premises”. He was taken to jail where he spent the night.
Alwadaei was released on Wednesday morning without charge.
Human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been in prison in Bahrain for a full year for expressing opinions. During this time, he has been primarily held in solitary confinement and suffered health issues while facing repeated hearing postponements.
Representatives from Index on Censorship, English Pen, Reporters without Borders, Amnesty International, the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and former SNP MP Margaret Ferrier, were present to show support for the 2012 Freedom of Expression Campaigning Award-winning Rajab in the face of his continued detainment. Protesters brought signs with photos of Rajab to display as they stood outside the embassy. When asked about the reason for their support, protesters mentioned Rajab’s work as a human rights defender as someone who speaks for the voiceless.
At the protest, supporters expressed their solidarity with Rajab and the desire that news of this demonstration would reach him and his family and give them hope even after a year in prison of mostly solitary confinement. Over the last year, Rajab suffered poor health in prison and underwent major surgery, to then be returned to prison quickly against medical professionals’ recommendations.
Two of Rajab’s four legal cases have been postponed over 20 times without clear explanation. One of the charges against Rajab is for a tweet about the war on Yemen and torture in Jau Prison. Evidence against Rajab includes a tweet from Index on Censorship calling for his release. Protesters on Tuesday told Index they were demonstrating against this lack of freedom of expression.
Former MP Margaret Ferrier reflected on her interactions with Rajab and her experiences standing up for freedom of expression rights in Parliament. She explained the importance of standing up for human rights, whether through protests or reaching out to MPs who can directly affect policy. She said, “Today proves that Nabeel has not been forgotten.” She continued stating the oppression of expression “is wrong, its got to stop.”
During the protest, director of advocacy for the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, approached the doors of the embassy to hold up a picture of Nabeel Rajab to the embassy sign. He was arrested for trespassing.
Rajab’s next hearing is set for 14 June in Bahrain.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1497944040779-a20a5204-913b-2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”91122″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2017/05/stand-up-for-satire/”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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