{"id":3647,"date":"2018-12-23T09:34:51","date_gmt":"2018-12-23T09:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info?p=3647"},"modified":"2018-12-23T09:34:51","modified_gmt":"2018-12-23T09:34:51","slug":"bahrain-drop-charges-in-rights-defenders-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/?p=3647&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Bahrain: Drop Charges in Rights Defender\u2019s Case"},"content":{"rendered":"

We the undersigned call on Bahrain to release Nabeel Rajab<\/a> immediately, to repeal his convictions and sentences, and drop all charges against him. On December 31, 2018, the Court of Cassation in Bahrain<\/a> may issue its verdict in the appeal of the five-year prison sentence<\/a> handed to him for peaceful comments posted and retweeted on his Twitter account about the killing of civilians in the Yemen conflict by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, and allegations of torture in Jau prison.<\/p>\n

We are concerned that the authorities intend to increase Rajab’s prison sentence unopposed, by setting December 31 as the date for a hearing and possible issuing of a verdict, while most Bahrainis and people around the globe will be focused on year-end celebrations. This is not an idle concern, as opposition leader Sheikh Ali Salman was arrested on December 28, 2014 and subsequently convicted and sentenced to four years in jail following an unfair trial. And last month, in yet another case brought against him on spying charges, the Court of Appeal overturned his initial acquittal and sentenced him instead to life in prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rajab has been a tireless champion of human rights for many years, helping to found and run the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, both members of the IFEX network.<\/p>\n

He has been detained since his arrest on 13 June 2016<\/a> . He was held largely in solitary confinement<\/a> during the first nine months of his detention, violating United Nations rules on pretrial imprisonment, and has been subjected to humiliating treatment. His books, toiletries, and clothes have been confiscated and his cell frequently raided at night.<\/p>\n

Rajab was sentenced to two years<\/a> in jail in 2017 on charges of \u201cpublishing and broadcasting false news that undermines the prestige of the state\u201d during TV interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016, in which he stated that Bahraini authorities bar reporters and human rights workers from entering the country. He was sentenced in 2018 to five years in prison on charges of \u201cdisseminating false rumors in times of war\u201d for tweets about torture in Jau Prison and the war in Yemen.<\/p>\n

At its eighty-first session<\/a>, on April 17 to 26, 2018, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Rajab’s \u201cdeprivation of liberty constitutes a violation of articles 2 and 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and articles 2 (1) and 26 of the Covenant \u2013 on the grounds of discrimination based on political or other opinion, as well as on his status as a human rights defender\u201d.<\/p>\n

We therefore urge Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release<\/a> Rajab, quash his convictions and sentences, and drop all charges against him; and undertake a prompt, impartial, independent, and effective investigation into his allegations of ill-treatment. The findings of the investigation must be made public and anyone suspected of criminal responsibility must be brought to justice in fair proceedings.<\/p>\n

As this case is part of a pattern of abuse and harassment against human rights defenders and journalists in Bahrain, we also urge the authorities to cease all such actions and ensure that the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press is respected.<\/p>\n

Signed,<\/p>\n

Bahrain Center for Human Rights<\/a>
\nActiveWatch \u2013 Media Monitoring Agency<\/a>
\nAdil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech<\/a>
\nAfrica Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)<\/a>
\nAmericans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)<\/a>
\nAmnesty International<\/a>
\nArabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI)<\/a>
\nAssociation for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)<\/a>
\nAssociation of Caribbean Media Workers<\/a>
\nBahrain Institute for Human Rights<\/a>
\nBahrain Interfaith<\/a>
\nBytes for All (B4A)<\/a>
\nCampaign Against Arms Trade<\/a>
\nCIVICUS<\/a>
\nCairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)<\/a>
\nCambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)<\/a>
\nElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)<\/a>
\nFIDH under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders<\/a>
\nForo de Periodismo Argentino<\/a>
\nFreedom Forum<\/a>
\nFree Media Movement<\/a>
\nFrontline Defenders<\/a>
\nGlobe International Center<\/a>
\nGulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)<\/a>
\nGulf Institute for Human Rights<\/a>
\nHuman Rights Watch<\/a>
\nI’lam Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research<\/a>
\nIndependent Journalism Center (IJC)<\/a>
\nIndex on Censorship<\/a>
\nInitiative for Freedom of Expression – Turkey<\/a>
\nInternational Press Centre (IPC)<\/a>
\nISHR<\/a>
\nMaharat Foundation<\/a>
\nMartin Annals
\nMediacentar Sarajevo <\/a>
\nMedia, Entertainment and Arts Alliance<\/a>
\nMedia Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)<\/a>
\nMedia Rights Agenda (MRA)<\/a>
\nMedia Watch<\/a>
\nMENA Monitoring Group<\/a>
\nNorwegian PEN<\/a>
\nOMCT under the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders<\/a>
\nOpenMedia<\/a>
\nPacific Freedom Forum (PFF)<\/a>
\nPacific Islands News Association (PINA)<\/a>
\nPalestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)<\/a>
\nPEN America<\/a>
\nRAFTO<\/a>
\nReporters Without Borders (RSF)<\/a>
\nSalam for Democracy and Human Rights<\/a>
\nSocial Media Exchange (SMEX)<\/a>
\nSoutheast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)<\/a>
\nSouth East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM)<\/a>
\nSouth East Europe Media Organisation <\/a>
\nSyrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)<\/a>
\nWorld Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)<\/a>
\nWorld Association of Newspapers and News Publishers<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We the undersigned call on Bahrain to release Nabeel Rajab immediately, to repeal his convictions and sentences, and drop all charges against him. On December 31, 2018, the Court of Cassation in Bahrain may issue its verdict in the appeal of the five-year prison sentence handed to him for peaceful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"labor":[],"years":[],"class_list":["post-3647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-statements"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3648,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions\/3648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"labor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Flabor&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"years","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anhri.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fyears&post=3647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}