Bahrain Tightens the Screws

Screenshot 2016-06-28 10

Two weeks ago, as residents of the village of Bani Jamrah in northwestern Bahrain finished their morning prayers and prepared for the long day of Ramadan fasting ahead, the calm was broken by the arrival of a group of masked policemen.

Their quarry was Nabeel Rajab, among the most respected rights activists in the Arab world, and a perennial target of the government of Bahrain, which is both a close U.S. ally and a routine violator of human rights. Long accustomed to such confrontations — he has been arrested multiple times — the veteran activist conducted himself with resignation. “The police knocked on the door, and my father told them, ‘Wait, I’ll just change,’” his son, Adam Rajab, recalled.

Read the full article here.