- Title: BAHRAIN-RAJAB Bahrain frees rights activist for health reasons - agency
- Date: 14th July 2015
- Summary: BANI JAMRA, BAHRAIN (JULY 13, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST NABEEL RAJAB GETTING OUT OF CAR AS HE ARRIVES AT HIS HOUSE / WELL-WISHERS GREETING HIM RAJAB / WELL-WISHERS WALKING INTO HOUSE RAJAB WALKING IN HOUSE RAJAB EMBRACING MAN VARIOUS OF RAJAB POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS RAJAB AND OTHERS SITTING DOWN VARIOUS OF RAJAB SPEAKING TO
- Embargoed: 29th July 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bahrain
- Country: Bahrain
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA54QIZDGBCLTCE1836SU8MSUX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Bahrain has freed prominent dissident Nabeel Rajab more than two months into a six-month jail term for insulting the authorities, citing health reasons, official news agency BNA said.
King Hamad issued a royal decree granting Rajab, one of the Arab world's best-known democracy activists, a special pardon, the agency reported late on Monday (July 13).
An appeals court in Bahrain in May upheld a six-month sentence imposed for a tweet published in September 2014 deemed insulting to the kingdom's security establishment.
He was convicted of "publicly insulting two government bodies," the attorney general's office was quoting as saying at the time, referring to the defence and interior ministries.
Rajab has been a leading figure in democracy protests by the tiny island kingdom's largely Shi'ite Muslim opposition since the 2011 "Arab Spring" uprisings.
Speaking to Reuters after returning to his home, Rajab said he hoped Bahrain would also release other political prisoners.
"I hope this will also include the release of all the prisoners including political prisoners in Bahrain because the crisis is not limited to imprisoning Nabeel Rajab but there are hundreds of political prisoners and I hope that this pardon will include the rest of the political prisoners, especially that Eid is upcoming and we hope that they will be released. And that will contribute to the unity of the country in the time we are facing a serious danger, which is radicalisation and terrorism," he said.
Rajab thanked the international human rights organisations that had campaigned for his release.
"I really appreciate that as a human rights activist and from the whole human rights movement in Bahrain. The solidarity and standing up of the international human rights movement with Bahraini activists and their issues is something much appreciated. We say to them thank you."
Bahrain, which hosts the United States (U.S.) Fifth Fleet, has experienced sporadic turmoil since demonstrators took to the streets demanding reforms and a bigger role in government. That revolt was put down with military help from Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom denies it discriminates against Shi'ites and says it has rolled out reforms and is monitoring for abuses by the security forces.
Rajab was freed in May 2014 after serving a two-year jail sentence for his role in the protests. Rajab was also sentenced to three months in jail in 2013 in a separate case over a tweet criticising the prime minister, the king's uncle. The ruling was quashed, but only after Rajab had already served his sentence. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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