30 May 17 | Bahrain, Bahrain News, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Today the trial of Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been pushed back yet again, this time until 12 June 2017. His next trial date will take place just one day shy of a year since he was detained.
The fifty-four-year-old Rajab is currently detained in Kalaa Hospital following surgical complications from a procedure on 5 April. He has spent most of the past year in solitary confinement, resulting in a deterioration of his health.
Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of advocacy Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said: “Today’s mock trial, in which Nabeel is punished for speaking the truth, shows how desperate Bahrain’s rulers are to silence and punish those who dare to expose the truth. The authorities have treated him in a degrading way for the past year and for what. This would not happen without the green-light from its allies Washington and London. This disastrous policy must be overturned.”
Rajab was jailed on 13 June 2016 for exposing human rights abuses in Bahrain, insulting Saudi Arabia and spreading “rumours and false news”. In September 2016, he published a letter in the New York Times highlighting the fact that journalists and NGO’s cannot enter Bahrain. After his letter was published, he was accused of “false news and statements and malicious rumours that undermine the prestige of the kingdom”.
Rajab’s trial on 12 June will address the accusation of spreading false news that journalists and NGO’s are being barred from the country. Another trial, which has been postponed 13 times, is scheduled for 14 June. It will address charges on his criticism of Bahrain’s capitol’s role in the military campaign against Yemen. If convicted Rajab could face 18 years in prison.[/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:1496328210946-80160fea-3861-4″ taxonomies=”3368″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
22 May 17 | Bahrain, Bahrain Letters, Campaigns -- Featured, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been subjected to ongoing judicial harassment. He was the recipient of a 2012 Freedom of Expression Award for his work with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.
Dear Nabeel
Though you are hundreds of miles from us, caught in Bahrain’s nightmarish justice system, know that we are with you in solidarity. Though we do not feel the pain of your mistreatment in solitary confinement, know that your message of hope and peaceful change for Bahrain still resonates across the miles.
It’s not so long ago that the heady days of 2001 made it seem that all was about to change for Bahrain. The disappointments that followed didn’t daunt you. You and your allies spoke out for democracy and for human rights. When it seemed that Bahrain’s moment came again in 2011, you were there speaking a message of non-violent reform.
We know that your time will come again. No matter how hard they push to silence you, they cannot stop your thoughts. They cannot crush your spirit. They cannot convince us that opinions are a crime.
We are here. We are watching. We are listening. We are speaking. We are with you.
The staff at Index on Censorship
—–
Nabeel Rajab is a well-regarded advocate of non-violent reform of Bahrain’s government. The target of an ongoing campaign of suppression of dissident voices in the country, Rajab has been repeatedly charged for critical statements about the Bahraini government.
“The time has come for Bahrain to end this charade. Nabeel has committed no crime. The cases against him make a mockery of the so-called Bahraini justice system, which has the thinnest veneer of fairness. We, once again, call on the government of Bahrain to release Nabeel, all prisoners of conscience and respect the fundamental right to freedom of expression,” Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of Index on Censorship, said.
After being arrested on 13 June 2016 on charges of spreading “rumours and false news” and tweeting about the war in Yemen, Rajab’s two trials have been postponed over ten times in total. He has now spent nearly a year straight in detention, most of which has been in solitary confinement, contributing to a string of serious medical issues including bleeding ulcers.
The treatment of Rajab, who could face up to 18 years in prison if he is convicted in both cases, has been criticised by human rights activists and organisations over the last year. On 12 May 2017, the United Nations Torture Committee released a statement strongly criticising Bahrain’s history of torture as well as urging them to “put an end to the solitary confinement of Mr. Nabeel Rajab and ensure that he is provided with adequate medical assistance and redress”.
It continued: “The Committee is deeply concerned by reports that numerous persons who were deprived of their liberty have been subjected to torture or ill-treatment. It is particularly concerned about the situation of Messrs. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Naji Fateel, Nabeel Rajab, Abduljalil Al-Singace, Hussain Jawad, Abdulwahab Hussain, in particular with regard to their access to medical care.”
Among the “evidence” against Rajab is this 2015 tweet by Index on Censorship that was retweeted by a Twitter account (@NabeelRajab) that is not controlled by Rajab.
What can you do to help?
Detained by the Bahraini government, Rajab needs you to use your voice. Speak out in support of free speech and human rights.
- Tweet and Facebook a statement of solidarity using #IamNabeelRajab.
- Call on your nation’s leaders to pressure Bahrain to respect freedom of expression and #FreeNabeel.
- Retweet the above “criminal” tweet
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”12″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1495450775306-1634312c-6588-6″ taxonomies=”3368, 716″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
17 May 17 | Bahrain, Bahrain News, Middle East and North Africa, News and features
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab (Photo: The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy)
On Tuesday the detention of human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was extended once again when Bahraini courts denied his request for bail and postponed the first of his two trials until 30 May.
Rajab, whose second trial was scheduled for today, was unable to appear in court due to deteriorating health, resulting in him being taken to a hospital.
After being arrested on 13 June 2016 on charges of spreading “rumours and false news” and tweeting about the war in Yemen, Rajab’s two trials have been postponed over ten times in total. He has now spent nearly a year straight in detention, most of which has been in solitary confinement, contributing to a string of serious medical issues including bleeding ulcers.
The treatment of Rajab, who could face up to 18 years in prison if he is convicted in both cases, has been criticised by human rights activists over the last year. On 12 May 2017, the United Nations Torture Committee released a statement strongly criticising Bahrain’s history of torture as well as urging them to “put an end to the solitary confinement of Mr. Nabeel Rajab and ensure that he is provided with adequate medical assistance and redress”.
It continued: “The Committee is deeply concerned by reports that numerous persons who were deprived of their liberty have been subjected to torture or ill-treatment. It is particularly concerned about the situation of Messrs. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, Naji Fateel, Nabeel Rajab, Abduljalil Al-Singace, Hussain Jawad, Abdulwahab Hussain, in particular with regard to their access to medical care.”[/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:1495019195784-ddbc73bc-d6fb-3″ taxonomies=”716″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
11 Apr 17 | Bahrain, Bahrain Statements, Campaigns, Campaigns -- Featured, Statements
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]As attention focuses on Bahrain ahead of the annual Formula One Grand Prix on 14-16 April, Index urges political leaders internationally to speak out against human rights abuses in the country.
Index is particularly troubled by the treatment of prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, who was arrested in June 2016 on multiple charges related to his media activities and peaceful expression online.
Last week, Rajab underwent surgery in hospital and was returned almost immediately to solitary confinement. For two days, he was forced to wear dirty clothes covered in blood and he still lacks access to any proper medical care while in jail despite a deep and open wound that causes severe pain and needs constant care.
“We call on the Bahraini government to end its inhumane treatment of Nabeel Rajab, who is being persecuted for simply exercising his right to peacefully express his opinion,” Index on Censorship chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said.
“Countries like Britain that enjoy such freedoms need to speak out more forcibly when such rights are denied to individuals elsewhere,” she added.
Rajab, a 2012 winner of the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards, was supposed to be freed on bail in December 2016 after nearly seven months in jail. However, he was re-arrested and remanded into custody for seven days, on charges related to media interviews he gave in 2015. Rajab has been in police custody since 13 June, when he was arrested and later charged with “spreading false news and rumours about the internal situation in a bid to discredit Bahrain.”
Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest in June. His detention, much of it in solitary confinement, has caused a deterioration in his health.
Bahrain appears to be intensifying a crackdown on journalists and human rights campaigners in the country.
On 23 April 2017, the court of appeals will hold a hearing for Sayed Ahmed Salman al-Mousawi, an internationally-renowned photographer, who was arrested more than three years ago for alleged terrorist activities.
Index is also concerned about the targeting and persecuting of a human rights defender’s family as means of intimidation. These retaliatory measures include the detention of the mother-in-law and brother-in-law of the UK-based Bahraini activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei. Both were taken into custody by the Bahraini authorities and their detentions were renewed on 6 April for 30 days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”10″ style=”load-more” items_per_page=”4″ element_width=”6″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1491928102591-8e234634-c0a1-1″ taxonomies=”716″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
