Holding dialogue with all opposition groups is the only way out of the current crisis in the country, Rajab, who is also the president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), stated.

He further emphasized that so long as the “legitimate demands” of the Bahraini people are not met, the regime’s security option will bear no results. 

Rajab also pointed to the rallies held in Bahrain on the anniversary of the Persian Gulf kingdom’s independence, saying that all nations and governments around the world celebrate their independence day but “unfortunately in Bahrain, regime forces clamp down on people even on such a day.”  

Rajab, who had been serving a six-month jail sentence, was granted “a special pardon for health reasons” in mid-July.

He was sentenced to prison in January for posting tweets deemed critical of the Al Khalifa regime.

Known internationally for his peaceful human rights work, Rajab also spent two years in prison from mid-2012 to mid-2014.

Bahrain has been the scene of almost daily protests against the Al Khalifa regime since early 2011, when an uprising began in the Persian Gulf country.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others wounded and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful protests.