Cairo July 12, 2012

ANHRI severly condemns the verdict against the freedom fighter and the significant human rights activist, “Nabil Rageb” of three months imprisonment, due to the charges brought by the Bahrain’ authorities of swearing at the people of (El-Mahreq) via the social network “twitter”.

The Minor Criminal Court 5 in Bahrain, on Monday, July 9,2012, issued a sentence of imprisonment against”Rageb”, due to tweets on “twitter”, after he was released on the same charges at the end of the last month. A lawyer, of who attended the hearing, “Rageb” was on a preventive custody for 21 days and it will counted of the three months.

Although there was no criminal, slander or libel intention against “Rageb” as well as the lawyers presented testimonies signed by tens of “El-Mahreq” people, saying that they he did not swearing at them and they know that he respect and appreciate them.

Once the verdict issued, the police forces accompanied with masked people, surrounded his house from all of the sides and they took him by power, although, he told them that he will go with them peaceful, but they dealt with him hardly and without an acceptable reason. Then he was sent to the central prison of “JO”. Rageb posted on “twitter” before they caught him, “I am going to prison with my head held high and I have a firm will and determine, because I own the heart of the free, gangrenous, honored and precious people, we bet on them to reach victory”. He added in another post “I have appealed the case and I will ask the judge to suspend the punishment and replace it with a social punishment as it provided by the law”.

As “Rageb” expected the court refuses his proposal, although the Bahraini laws allow it” in accordance with “Mohamed El-Gashy” Rageb’s lawyer. He added, that “I appealed the decree of the judge and the appeal will be held quickly from September 11 to July 18″. Rageb made a phone call to his family, he told them that he is facing a harsh treatment and he is an a very small and isolated cell, away from all the political detainees.

It is worthy to be mentioned that “Nabil Rageb” is the previous president of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, the president of the Gulf Center for Human Rights and the member of the advisory council of the Middle East and the Northern Africa department in “Human Rights Watch Organization. His center plays a significant role in defending the Opinion makers and revolutionaries in the Bahrain and Gulf region as well as supporting them to face the suppression practiced by the authorities related to the freedom of opinion, expression and Internet.

Nabil faces four other cases of false allegations. Such cases are connected to (insulting an authority of the regime, and the participation in a legal assemble), (joining illegal practices and the incitement of assemble and unauthorized marches and call for it via the social networks websites), as well as (participation in illegal assemble and call for marches without precedent notice) and finally (the case of insulting an authority of the regime via “twitter”). He was arrested several times due to these charges. In a previous release, ANHARI expressesed its fears that “Rageb” could be followed by false allegations to punish him for his activity.

On the other hand, in continuation of the series of harassments against the civil society and human rights organizations, the administrative court issued a sentence of “dissolution of Amal Islamic Association” in allegations of administrative violations. The case brought by Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs. That decree deemed to be the first of its kind in Bahrain after the issuance of the law on political rights 2002. It is worthy to be noted that the charges made against the association are the association did not held board of the meetings for more than four years, although the authorities arrested most of its board of directories members and sent them to the darkness of the jail.

ANHRI said “the continuation of suppressing the freedom or harassing the civil society as well as press false charges, in their attempt to silence their opposition mouthes who called for freedom and human rights, is a violation to the all the international treaties and covenants related to human rights, in which Bahrain signed it.”

ANHRI calls for dropping the charges against “Rageb” and the immediate and the unconditioned release each and every prisoner of the opinion. The estimations indicated that there is about 700 political prisoner until now in Bahrain. Come at the top list of them the significant opposition activist “Abdulhady El-Khawagah”who still in the prison, amid major concerns about his life, as he repeatedly engaged in open ended hunger strike protesting against the judgment of life-imprisonment made against him for practicing his right of freedom of expression, which is disregarded by the Bahrain’ authorities after refusing the calls of the civil society and human rights organizations to release him.

To know more about Human Rights violations in Bahrain, click here.