DUBAI: A Bahraini court yesterday freed prominent Shia activist Nabeel Rajab but barred him from travel until his trial resumes over remarks on Twitter deemed insulting to public institutions, a judicial source said.
The criminal court in Manama ordered Rajab’s release from custody and adjourned the trial until January 20, the source said. A picture on his Twitter account later showed Rajab in a car, smiling and flashing a “V” for victory sign, as his family said he arrived home.
Rajab was arrested on October 1 after posting comments on Twitter about the interior and defence ministries. In one of the tweets which were deemed offensive, Rajab charged that many of the Bahrainis fighting with jihadists in Syria were former security forces personnel who had developed Sunni extremist views while in service.
Rajab’s lawyer, Jalila Al Sayyed, used yesterday’s hearing to call for her client to be freed, according to the judicial source. The trial has been condemned by advocacy groups, including Human Rights Watch, which also called for the charges against Rajab to be dropped.
Amnesty International said that “while we welcome that Nabeel Rajab has been released on bail, he should never have been detained in the first place.” “The Bahraini authorities are merely obfuscating, meanwhile a man’s future hangs in the balance,” said Amnesty’s MENA deputy director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui. AFP
