ANHRI condemns the prosecutors accusation to the human rights activist “Nabeel Rajab” as “a security threat”
Cairo on 8 October 2012
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, today, denounces the decision issued by the Bahrain Criminal Court against the prominent human rights activist, “Nabeel Rajab,” of refusing to stop the implementation of the sentence and to release him.
The Criminal Court in Bahrain in the hearing held today, has issued a decision of rejecting the request made by the lawyers of “Nabeel Rajab” to stop the implementation of his sentence pending on the appeal. These comes after a few days of Nabeel Rajab open strike from medicines, water and food. This is to protest against the rejection of the prosecutors to the request of provisional release to attend the funeral of his mother and accused him of being “a security threat and exposes the police force accompanying him to dangerous”. Furthermore, the prosecution accused him of “breaching the law and giving an inciting speech to the mourners” to get in a peaceful demonstrations after allowing him to attend the funeral only accompanied by his uncle who is imprisoned for 15 years.
The hearing, which was attended by president of Human Rights First U.S. and representatives of other human rights organizations. The lawyer Jalila asked for the immediate release of Nabeel Rajab due to his residence with continuation of the trial as he is a Bahraini and works in the country and will not leave. Such a request was rejected by the court. Furthermore, the representatives of some human rights organizations were prevented to speak with “Nabeel Rajab” who appeared for the first time in the court without handcuffs due to the attend of some human rights organizations.
ANHRI said that “pressing a new charge on ” Nabeel Rajab ” as a threat to the security is a serious violations that should not be tolerated.ANHRI wonders “How a defenseless person defending his ideas and freedoms using peaceful means either by oral or peaceful demonstration, which suppress the Bahraini authorities using excessive violence, could represent a security threat? “.
ANHRI called for “the immediate release of Nabeel Rajab and to drop all the charges pressed against him and not to prosecute him”.
