US Protesters Urge Release of Bahraini Rights Activist
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Tasnim) – A group of civil rights activists held a protest rally outside Bahrain’s embassy in the US capital city to condemn unjust imprisonment of leading Bahraini human rights activist, Nabeel Rajab, by the Manama regime.
The rally was organized on Thursday by the peace group Codepink to voice outrage at Bahraini rulers for keeping Rajab, head of the NGO Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), in custody.
The demonstration was held on the birth anniversary of 52-year-old Rajab.
The protesters called for his immediate release and an end to the Bahraini regime’s oppressive measures.
Medea Benjamin, an American political activist and co-founder of Code Pink, told Tasnim that the White House wants to maintain good ties with the Manama regime because of the five US military bases stationed in the Persian Gulf island country.
She said the protesters attended the rally to voice support for Bahraini political and religious activists and deplore the terrible human rights conditions in the kingdom.
Nabeel Rajab, who founded the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, has served several prison sentences since helping lead a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.
He was released from jail last July after being pardoned by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for health reasons, two months after an appeal court upheld a six-month sentence for "offending national institutions" in comments on social media.
On the day of his release, Mr. Rajab was issued a new travel ban based on two outstanding charges, which prosecutors have not dropped.
He is accused of "insulting a statutory body" in comments about the alleged torture of detainees at Jaw prison, and "disseminating false rumors in times of war", based on criticism of air strikes in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition including Bahrain.
He was again arrested on June 13 and is now facing up to 12 years in prison after using social media to criticize the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described the charges against Rajab as constituting a serious violation of his right to freedom of expression.