Bahrain Activist Charged over Tweets, Says Act ’Vindictive’
Local Editor
Prominent Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab told a court on Wednesday that a charge that he tweeted insults against the government was "vindictive".
"The charge against me is vindictive and is due to my rights activism," Rajab told a judge at Manama's Minor Criminal Court, insisting the decision to arrest and try him was political, witnesses reported.
"I only practiced my right to free expression. I did not commit a crime. The decision to arrest me and put me on trial was a political decision," he said.
More than 50 lawyers, both men and women, gathered at the court to defend Rajab.
The activist has been leading protests following a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations against the al-Khalifa dynasty in March 2011.
The judge adjourned the trial to Sunday, and ordered Rajab to stay behind bars.
Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), was detained on May 5 for "insulting a statutory body via Twitter". He also faces a trial for taking part in a Manama demonstration three months ago.
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Bahraini authorities to drop charges against Rajab.
"The charges against Nabeel Rajab are nothing more than attempts to silence one of the Bahraini government's most prominent critics," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at the New York-based watchdog.
"Authorities should immediately drop these charges and release him," he said in a statement.
Also, former head of the BCHR, activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has been on a hunger strike in prison since February 8. He faces a life sentence among other leading opposition activists.
Source: News agencies, edited by moqawama.org
Prominent Bahraini rights activist Nabeel Rajab told a court on Wednesday that a charge that he tweeted insults against the government was "vindictive".
"The charge against me is vindictive and is due to my rights activism," Rajab told a judge at Manama's Minor Criminal Court, insisting the decision to arrest and try him was political, witnesses reported.
"I only practiced my right to free expression. I did not commit a crime. The decision to arrest me and put me on trial was a political decision," he said.
More than 50 lawyers, both men and women, gathered at the court to defend Rajab.
The activist has been leading protests following a brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrations against the al-Khalifa dynasty in March 2011.
The judge adjourned the trial to Sunday, and ordered Rajab to stay behind bars.
Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), was detained on May 5 for "insulting a statutory body via Twitter". He also faces a trial for taking part in a Manama demonstration three months ago.
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Bahraini authorities to drop charges against Rajab.
"The charges against Nabeel Rajab are nothing more than attempts to silence one of the Bahraini government's most prominent critics," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at the New York-based watchdog.
"Authorities should immediately drop these charges and release him," he said in a statement.
Also, former head of the BCHR, activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, has been on a hunger strike in prison since February 8. He faces a life sentence among other leading opposition activists.
Source: News agencies, edited by moqawama.org
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