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Nabeel Rajab: The struggle continues in Bahrain

Categories: Bahrain, Activism, Advocacy, Internet governance, Law, Legal Threats, Regulation

President of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights [1], Nabeel Rajab, has been released on $800 bail, his lawyer Mohamed Al Jishi said. Earlier this month, Rajab was arrested at Bahrain International Airport on his return from Beirut. Charges against include writing “insulting [2]” posts in social networks (Twitter). He has also been charged with calling for protests via social networks. Eventually his posts expose human rights violations in Bahrain. Despite the fact that Rajab is now with his family, charges against his are not dropped. This means that he could be rearrested at anytime, and he is banned from travelling outside Bahrain. The next hearing is scheduled for June 17. Again, enemies of the Internet  [3] don't want to admit that having charges against a human rights defender who exercises his rights to freedom of expression is rather a very oppressive act by the Bahraini authorities.

Brave Nabeel Rajab  [4] will continue fighting as he promised people in Bahrain and supporters from around the world in this short video taken immediately after his release:

Nabeel's words after his release [5]

 

(Translation: “This has been the first experience in which I was detained for long time. My experience in prison strengthened by belief that we are being ruled by a dictator. We need to keep resisting, and struggling against this oppression and injustice until all our demands that we have been protesting for in February 14 will be fulfilled. Our struggle will continue until we get all our rights.”)

There are about 750 prisoners of conscience in Bahrain including bloggers, and citizen journalists. Let's not forget that our Global Voices blogger Ali Abdulemam [6] has disappeared since more than a year ago and no one (including his family) knows about his
whereabouts. Just as Rajab said, the struggle continue.