Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab sentenced to three years in prison

16 Aug 2012

Index on Censorship condemns the sentencing human rights defender and Index award winner Nabeel Rajab to three years in prison

Index on Censorship condemns the sentencing in Bahrain today of human rights defender and Index award winner Nabeel Rajab to three years in prison for charges related to “illegal gathering”.

Kirsty Hughes, Chief Executive of Index on Censorship, said:

“We strongly condemn the imprisonment of Nabeel Rajab for speaking out against human rights violations. It shows the lengths Bahrain’s government will go to silence activists — and exposes their token statements in favour of reform as phoney. Index calls for the immediate release of Rajab, and for the Bahrain government to respect fully universal human rights, and to implement a serious reform process as promised since last year.”

Prominent human rights defender and president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab, was today sentenced to three years in prison for charges related to “illegal gathering”. Rajab, who was awarded an Index on Censorship Free Expression Award this year, has spoken out internationally against the human rights violations committed by the Bahrain’s government following a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests on 14 February 2011. Despite promises of reform, including commissioning an independent inquiry into the country’s crackdown following February last year, unrest continues in the troubled Gulf Kingdom.

Rajab still faces defamation charges for allegedly insulting the Sunni residents of Muharraq on Twitter. The verdict in that case has been postponed until 23 August.

Talk about this story

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • LinkedIn
  • Blogger
  • StumbleUpon
  • Email
  • RSS

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

«  •  »

  1. Bahrain Jails Nabeel Rajab for 3 Years | Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)

    August 16, 2012 at 14:55

    [...] condemned the conviction and called for his immediate release, while the Index on Censorship echoed the condemnation. Reuters said the verdict is “likely to undermine a U.S. call for [...]

  2. EFF to Bahraini Government: Release Nabeel Rajab | OccuWorld

    August 16, 2012 at 21:25

    [...] the BCHR, GCHR, and other human rights and civil liberties groups—including fellow IFEX members Index on Censorship, Freedom House, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information—in denouncing Rajab’s [...]

  3. EFF to Bahraini Government: Release Nabeel Rajab | GrassrootsHeadlines.com

    August 17, 2012 at 05:59

    [...] the BCHR, GCHR, and other human rights and civil liberties groups—including fellow IFEX members Index on Censorship, Freedom House, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information—in denouncing Rajab’s [...]

  4. Bahrain – Release Bahraini human rights activists now, say international groups « Global Freedom Movement

    August 17, 2012 at 16:21

    [...] BCHR is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and this year won the Index on Censorship Free Expression Award and the Human Rights First 2012 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty. Rajab also won the 2011 Ion [...]

  5. Release Bahraini Human Rights Activists Now, Say International Groups « Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

    August 17, 2012 at 19:23

    [...] BCHR is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and this year won the Index on Censorship Free Expression Award and the Human Rights First 2012 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty. Rajab also won the 2011 Ion [...]

  6. » Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab sentenced to three years in prison …

    August 17, 2012 at 19:40

    [...] Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab sentenced to three years in prison … Go to this article [...]

  7. الأيفكس يأسف لإصدار الحكم بحبس العضو البحريني نبيل رجب ثلاث سنوات : الشبكة العربية لمعلومات حقوق الإنسان

    August 20, 2012 at 18:51

    [...] الإنسان، مركز الخليج لحقوق الإنسان، هيومن رايتس ووتش, مؤشر الرقابة، حقوق الإنسان أولاً، منظمة العفو الدولية والإئتلاف [...]

  8. Truth_About_Bahrain

    August 20, 2012 at 20:19

    Followers of nabeelrajab committed arson and sabotaged gov’t buildings

  9. EFF to Bahraini Government: Release Nabeel Rajab | Electronic Frontier Foundation

    August 22, 2012 at 21:41

    [...] the BCHR, GCHR, and other human rights and civil liberties groups—including fellow IFEX members Index on Censorship, Freedom House, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information—in denouncing Rajab’s [...]

  10. Bahraini activist acquitted of Twitter charges but remains in prison | Index on Censorship

    August 23, 2012 at 14:36

    [...] months in prison on 9 July for his remarks on the site. However, the activist remains in jail after being sentenced to three years in prison last week for his involvement in “illegal protests”. Rajab, [...]

  11. Netizen Report: Assam Edition - Global Voices Advocacy

    September 3, 2012 at 15:42

    [...] been acquitted of charges for posting an “insulting” remark on Twitter. However, he has been sentenced to three years in jail for another charge related to “illegal gathering” (the gathering of five [...]

  12. Index urges Bahrain to accept UN recommendations | Index on Censorship

    September 19, 2012 at 12:18

    [...] the number of political prisoners to 3,000 as of today. Prominent human rights activists such as Nabeel Rajab — who was sentenced on 16 August 2012 to three years’ imprisonment for organising [...]

  13. Saudis warn UK over human rights probe | UNCUT

    October 17, 2012 at 09:00

    [...] with teargas, birdshot and police brutality, locking up its citizens for such dreadful crimes as tweeting and “insulting the [...]

  14. Free expression: you’re doing it wrong, Bahrain. | UNCUT

    November 1, 2012 at 16:36

    [...] jailing human rights activists and social media users critical of the government and even going as far as [...]

14 Responses to “Bahrain activist Nabeel Rajab sentenced to three years in prison”