Bahrain brings new charges against man believed to be top democracy activist

Reuters

Bahrain prosecutors on Monday filed new charges against a man believed by rights activists to be the Gulf state’s most prominent jailed democracy campaigner, Nabeel Rajab, after the New York Times published an op-ed under his byline.

The prosecutor of the Gulf state’s northern region, Mohammed Salah, said a man had been questioned over a complaint from the cybercrime unit accusing him of “publishing a column in a foreign newspaper in which he deliberately broadcast news, statements and false rumors that undermine the kingdom’s prestige and stature”.

Salah did not identify the man or name the newspaper, but a rights group and a lawyer said the statement clearly referred to Rajab, who had been in jail since June on charges related to anti-government tweets published last year, including one accusing the security forces of torturing detainees.

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