Paris-Geneva, December 15, 2016 – For the fifth time in a row, Court postpones verdict of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab as he remains jailed for his tweets and his human rights activities in violation of his right to freedom of expression. Furthermore, the health of Mr. Rajab has seriously deteriorated since his arrest in June 2016. “Mr. Rajab should be released immediately and unconditionally”, says the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.
On December 15, 2016, after a fifteen minutes hearing during which Nabeel Rajab was not allowed to speak, the Fourth High Criminal Court postponed the verdict until December 28, 2016 and refused to release him, after he has spent more than six months in pre-trial detention.
“In a sad parody of justice, Bahraini authorities are punishing Nabeel Rajab for exercising his right to freedom of expression. We are calling for his immediate and unconditional release”, said FIDH President Dimitris Christopoulos.
Read the full press release here.