As you already know if you follow our actions, we support freedom of speech and we have been actively supporting imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi (and his family and wife Ensaf Haidar). More than three years ago we posted a tweet asking our followers to sign the petition by Amnesty International USA to tell the Bahraini Government to free Nabeel Rajab:
PETITION: Imprisoned for a Tweet? Tell the Bahraini Government to Free @NABEELRAJAB http://t.co/DYopddFv via @TakePart and @Amnesty
— MagkaSama Project (@MagkaSama) February 13, 2013
Last month on Nabeel’s birthday, we invited everyone in London to show their support in front on the Bahrain Embassy:
Today is @NABEELRAJAB's birthday. If you are in #London, you can go to the #Bahrain Embassy to call for his release! https://t.co/9N2S5OIXn9
— MagkaSama Project (@MagkaSama) September 1, 2016
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch Middle East Researcher Nicholas McGeehan wrote:
One of Rajab’s supposed crimes is his criticism of the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes in Yemen, which have bombed hospitals, schools, and markets, killing, by UN estimates, more than 1,900 civilians. His other purported offense was remarks he made on Twitter about torture at Bahrain’s notorious Jau prison.
The Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab was released from detention on bail, on November, 2014 and but he has been back in jail since June, and was then hospitalised after 15 days in solitary confinement. He’s now waiting for a court hearing announced for this week that could sentence him to 15 years in prison.
In his post, McGeehan rightfully wonder why there has been outcry over Rajab imprisonment as no country called for Rajab’s release, excepted the United States. Last month Human rights groups urged countries to call for Nabeel Rajab’s release; Rajab is due to be sentenced tomorrow, and McGeehan concluded:
If the foreign ministers to whom NGOs have written don’t call for the charges to be dropped and for his release before then, they may have 15 years to ruminate over their spinelessness
Update: For the third time, the trial has been postponed until October, 31.
#Bahrain #HRD and #prisonerofconscience @NABEELRAJAB verdict has been postponed until 31 October https://t.co/Fl0O8mYs4V pic.twitter.com/eJ89rLS2QW
— Amnesty Bahrain (@aibahrain) October 11, 2016
