Oct 09 2014
(Fixes day in first paragraph to Thursday)
DUBAI, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Pro-democracy campaigner Nabeel
Rajab, one of the highest profile activists in the Arab world,
is to go on trial in Bahrain accused of insulting the Interior
and Defence Ministries, his supporters said on Thursday.
While the Public Prosecution did not name Rajab on a
statement carried on the official news agency announcing a trial
on Oct. 19, the Interior Ministry identified him when he was
arrested on Oct. 2.
Rajab took a leading role in the 2011 mass Shi’ite-led
demonstrations demanding reforms in the Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab
kingdom that were inspired by other pro-democracy uprisings of
the Arab Spring.
If convicted, Rajab, founder of the Bahrain Centre for Human
Rights, could find himself back in prison just months after
completing a two years sentence in May for organising and
participating in illegal protests.
Fellow activists who have maintained his official twitter
account during past detentions confirmed the trial date.
In its statement, the Public Prosecution said the individual
had “posted on his personal social media account insults against
the two ministries in which he made defamatory allegations”.
Rajab was detained for questioning shortly after returning
to Bahrain from a trip abroad.
Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, put
down the protests but has since struggled to resolve political
deadlock between the government and the opposition.
Many Shi’ites complain of political and economic
discrimination, a charge the authorities deny.
Rajab was sentenced to three months in jail last year in a
separate case over a tweet criticising the prime minister, the
king’s uncle. The ruling was overturned, but only after Rajab
had already served his sentence.
(Reporting by Farishta Saeed; Writing by Noah Browning; Editing
by William Maclean and Alison Williams)
((noah.browning@thomsonreuters.com;))
Keywords: BAHRAIN ACTIVIST/TRIAL
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