© Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters
Nabeel Rajab, President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights and prisoner of Bahrain.
has been released from prison on bail, following a seven-month pre-trial detainment over a series of tweets, but was
ordered back into custody over separate investigations. Rajab's lawyer, Jalila Sayed, confirmed the activist would stay in prison, AP reported. "Nabeel is overall
weak because of so many
health problems he started facing, including heart problems and other physical issues," she said. "He's under tremendous stress because of this length of detention."
Rajab was arrested on June 13 on
charges of "spreading false information and rumors with the aim of discrediting the State" for tweeting and re-tweeting
statements that criticized the actions of Bahrain's forces in Yemen. He has led a busy life of
activism from behind bars, most recently focusing on the
Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen, as well as human rights abuses in his country's prison system.
The activist had
published a series of letters to papers such as the
New York Times and
Le Monde,
for which he faces separate charges. It is likely that he has been ordered
back into custody in connection with those investigations. According to Sayed, Rajab was
released on bail in the case concerning the tweets because a prosecution witness failed to prove the activist had been in control of his Twitter account at the time of the posts. "We hope this will end with an acquittal because the
case has no evidence," she said.
Rajab, a prominent human rights activist and
president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), has repeatedly advocated freedom of expression and debate. He has organized numerous protests against the Bahraini regime since 2011 and has been in and out of jail.
Comment: Another dubious distinction held by the worlds 'exceptional' nation.