News story

UK expresses concern at sentence for Bahraini opposition activist

A Bahraini court today sentenced Mr Nabeel Rajab, President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, to three years in prison for inciting and taking part in illegal rallies and demonstrations.

• From: Foreign & Commonwealth Office
• Published: 16 August 2012

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

A Foreign Office spokesperson said:

“We are concerned at the length of sentence handed down to Mr Nabeel Rajab for charges relating to comments made on social networking sites and for incitement of illegal rallies. We urge the Bahraini Government to act proportionately in all cases. The right of individuals to peaceful protest and freedom of expression is a fundamental part of any modern democracy and must be respected. But we expect opposition activists to ensure their words and actions do not incite violence or other illegal acts.”

Published 16 August 2012