A Bahraini court Thursday postponed until October 31 its verdict in the trial of prominent activist Nabeel Rajab.
The criminal court, with Rajab present behind bars, was scheduled to give its verdict at Thursday’s hearing.
The human rights activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was re-arrested in June and is on trial on a list of charges, including “insulting a state institution and Saudi Arabia in online postings.”
He is also accused of “spreading false news and rumors and inciting propaganda during wartime which could undermine the war operations by the Bahraini armed forces and weaken the nation”, state news agency BNA reported Thursday.
The court had repeatedly ordered that Rajab, 51, remain in custody throughout the trial, despite recurring health problems for which he was briefly hospitalized in late June.
His detention has drawn wide condemnation from human rights groups.
Last month, 22 NGOs including Human rights Watch and Amnesty International wrote a letter urging 50 governments to “speak out on Bahrain’s continued misuse of the judicial system to harass and silence human rights defenders”, and specifically called for Rajab’s release.
Source: AFP
