21 Feb 2018

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP
Top Bahrain rights activist
sentenced to five years in
prison
Prominent Bahraini rights
activist Nabeel Rajab was
sentenced to five years in
prison on Wednesday after
he was convicted over critical
comments he allegedly
made on Twitter about the
government, his lawyer and
activists said.
Rajab, a leading figure in
pro-democracy protests that
swept Bahrain in 2011, was
sentenced over tweets which
criticized air strikes in Yemen
by a Saudi-led coalition of
which Bahrain is a member
and accusing Bahraini prison
authorities of torture.
bar “insulting a neighboring
country” and “insulting
national institutions”.
There was no immediate
comment from the Bahraini
government on the reports.
Rajab was already serving
a two-year sentence over a
January 2015 news interview
in which he was accused
of saying that Bahrain was
torturing political prisoners.
Read more
Bahrain activist Rajab
sentenced to 5 years for
tweets
High-profile Bahraini activist
Nabeel Rajab was sentenced
to a further five years in jail
on Wednesday over tweets
critical of the war in Yemen,
a judicial source and human
rights groups said.
Rajab, a leading figure in
2011 protests against the Gulf
state's Sunni minority rulers,
was already serving a two-
year sentence handed down
last July for "disseminating
rumours and false
information" in television
interviews critical of the
government.
in prison since 2012, all linked
to his role in the protests.
In the latest case, Rajab was
found guilty of insulting a
neighbouring country and
spreading false news and
rumours, a judicial source
told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
The charges are linked to
tweets and retweets, made via
Rajab's account and critical
of a Saudi-led coalition,
including Bahrain, that has
been fighting in Yemen in
support of its beleaguered
government since 2015.
The charges also relate to
tweets critical of Bahrain's
treatment of inmates at the
notorious Jaw prison, south
of the capital Manama.
Read more

The charges cited laws which He has served multiple stints

already serving a two-year

sentence handed down in July
over television interviews he
gave that included criticism
of Bahrain.

Rajab has been hospitalized

Bahrain sentences
prominent activist to 5
years in prison
A prominent human rights
activist in Bahrain was
sentenced Wednesday to five
years in prison over tweets
alleging prison torture in his
country and misconduct in
Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen,
despite wide international
criticism of his trial.
Nabeel Rajab’s sentencing
marks the latest chapter in
a yearslong crackdown on
dissent in Bahrain, a tiny
island kingdom off the coast
of Saudi Arabia that’s home to
the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. He’s
several times during his
most-recent incarceration
over heart problems and
ulcers.
Rajab’s Twitter account
posted a message Wednesday
saying he entered court with
a “cheerful smile” before
his sentencing. After his
sentencing, he raised his
hands making a peace sign
and laughed.
The court’s decision drew
immediate condemnation
from activists.
Read more