Lawyer Mohammed al-Tajir Ordered to Trial – Sentence Against Twitter-User Yousif al-Am Is Reduced –Oppositionist Ibrahim Sharif Summoned to Interrogation –Human Rights Activist Hassan Radhi Summoned to Interrogation – Ebtisam al-Saegh Summoned to Interrogation –Journalist Ahmed Radhi Ordered to Investigation –Journalist Faisal Hayyat Is Sentenced – Religious Figure Arrested for “Insulting the Regime.”
November 2016:
Lawyer Mohammed Al-Tajir Ordered to Trial
On November 10, 2016 human rights lawyers Mohammed al-Tajir was ordered to trial for “insulting the country’s institutions,” “inciting hatred against a religious sect,” and “misusing a communication device.” The representatives of the Public Prosecutor’s Office cited al-Tajir in a private voicenote he sent through the WhatsApp phone application in which he states, “It is evident that there is a team in the Public Prosecutor and the Cyber Crime Directorate whose job is to sit in front of a computer and object to every word said about Sunnis and Saudi Arabia, expressing hatred of the regime, or insulting the King.”
3 Instead of 5 Years of Prison for a Twitter-User
On November 12, 2016 the Court of Appeal modified a first-degree rule against twitter-user Yousif al-Am, also know by his twitter name Haji Ahmed, from 5 to 3 year of imprisonment. Al-Am was charged of “insulting the military forces participating in Decisive Storm Operation and spreading information that could harm and incite fear between people in a period of war,” a charge directed towards any person who criticized the war in Yemen. The authorities claimed that they reached the defendant through “investigation” and that he confessed for publishing more than 80 thousand tweets, including what they described as “insults” of the Bahraini, Saudi, and Emirati soldiers who died in Yemen.
Ibrahim Sharif Interrogated after Making a Statement for a Foreign Press
On November 13, 2016 the Public Prosecutor summoned oppositionist Ibrahim Sharif for interrogation over the charge of “inciting hatred against the regime” before he was released. The Public Prosecutor stated that it received “a message from the Cyber Crime Directorate that an individual (Sharif) made a statement to a foreign press that offends the Kingdom’s constitutional regime” on the occasion of Prince Charles’s visit. It added that “the Public Prosecutor interrogated the defendant regarding the statements he made in the presence of a lawyer, some of the content of which he denied responsibility for. He was then ordered to be released after charging him with “publicly inciting hatred against and mocking the regime”
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Human Rights Activist Hussain Radhi Summoned for Interrogation over Tweets
On November 17, 2016 the Public Prosecutor summoned Hussain Radhi, a member of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, for “inciting hatred against the regime and spreading false news undermining civil peace.” Radhi reported that he was questioned for publishing through his twitter account news already published by al-Wasat newspaper and Bahrain’s Mirror electronic newspaper.
Rula al-Saffar Summoned for Interrogation
On November 23, 2016 the Public Prosecutor held an investigation with Director of Bahrain Nursing Society Dr. Rula al-Saffar. Dr. al-Saffar was accused of “inciting hatred against the regime and undermining civil peace.” She was eventually released but is banned from travelling.
Human Rights Activist Ebtisam al-Saegh Charged of “Insulting the Regime”
On November 23, 2016 the Public Prosecutor summoned Ibtisam al-Saegh and accused her of “inciting hatred against and mocking the regime and undermining the country’s security and civil peace.” Al-Saegh was later released but is banned from travelling.
Journalist Ahmed Radhi Summoned for Investigation
On November 24, 2016 the Public Prosecutor interrogated journalist Ahmed Radhi for participating in an “illegal assembly.” Radhi reported through his twitter account, “I was accused of illegal assembly, and I denied this charge completely. I was informed that they will lift the travel ban imposed on me soon, but without any confirmation.” The authorities, however, continued the ban. On December 29, 2016 Radhi stated, “I was banned from travelling through Bahrain International Airport for a third time and without a clear reason, even though the Public Prosecutor previously confirmed that it was going to lift the ban.”
Three-Month Imprisonment for Journalist Faisal Hayyat
On November 29, 2016 the Lower Criminal Court sentenced journalist Faisal Hayyat three months of imprisonment for “insulting a religious figure and slandering one sect.” The Director of the Capital Prosecutor’s Office Nawwaf al-Awadhi stated that the Public Prosecutor “received a message from the Cyber Crime Directorate, stating that an individual (Faisal Hayyat) published a tweet through his personal twitter account, including phrases that insult a religious figure as well as a religious sect, which can incite discord among the different sects of society.”
Religious Cleric Arrested for “Insulting the Regime”
On November 31, 2016 the Public Prosecutor apprehended Shiite religious cleric Shaikh Haani al-Banaa for 15 days after he was charged of “inciting hatred against the regime and inciting violation of the law.” The police station in Budayya summoned al-Banaa for investigation on Sunday, October 30 and decided to detain him to refer his case to the Public Prosecutor.
December 2016
Arabic Television Correspondents Are Arrested –Al-Jazeera and CNN Arabic Correspondents Banned from Covering the GCC Summit –Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab Faces New Charges – The Verdict against Secretary-General of al-Wifaq Society Is Upheld
Journalists Arrested and Banned during the GCC Summit
On December 6, 2016 the security forces arrested staff members working for the London-based Arabic Television while covering the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Manama. The authorities also stopped a live broadcast with a guest in Bahrain who was commenting on the summit. Additionally, the Qatari channel al-Jazeera reported that the Bahraini authorities prevented its crew from covering the summit and stated via its breaking news, “The Bahraini authorities prevent the crew of al-Jazeera network from covering the GCC summit in Manama.” CNN Arabic correspondent Mohammed al-Ghasra was also banned from reporting on the event.
The Court of Appeal Upholds the Verdict against Oppositionist Leader
On December 12, 2016 the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict against oppositionist leader Shaikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of al-Wifaq Society, of 9 years of imprisonment. Shaikh Salman was accused of several charges, including “promoting a change in the regime by force.” The court stated that it unanimously accepted the appeals, cancelled the appellant’s verdict, sentenced Shaikh Ali Salman to 7 years of imprisonment for the charge (1, 2, and 3), and upheld the verdict against him of 2 years for the fourth charge, bringing the total period of his imprisonment to 9 years. The Court of Cassation overturned the 9-year rule of the Court of Appeal and appealed the case another time. The Court of Appeal, however, upheld the verdict once again.
The Release of Feminist Activist Ghada Jamsheer
On December 12, 2016 the security forces released feminist activist Ghada Jamsheer after completing 7 months of imprisonment for four cases related to insults made on her social media accounts. According to al-Wasat newspaper, al-Jamsheer will complete her sentence by committing to community service in replacement of detention.
Nabeel Rajab Interrogated after Publishing an Article in Le Monde
The security forces investigated detained activist Nabeel Rajab regarding an article attributed to him and published by the French newspaper Le Monde. The Ministry of Interior stated on December 22, 2016 that it referred the case to the Public Prosecutor. According to the Ministry, the Cyber Crime Directorate “recorded an article published in Le Monde French newspaper attributed to Nabeel Rajab that included false information and rumors that harm the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sisterly countries of the Gulf Council and that jeopardize its interests.” The Ministry also stated that Rajab denied writing the article during investigation.
Setting a Date for the Trial of Journalist Nazeeha Said
The Lower Criminal Court decided upon a date to look into the case filed by the Information Affairs Authority against France Press reporter Nazeeha Saeed. Saeed was accused of “practicing journalism without a license.” On December 26, 2016 the journalist stated on her twitter account that the date for her trial was set for January 16, 2017.
Nabeel Rajab Faces New Charges
On December 29, 2016 the Public Prosecutor apprehended prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab for one week pending investigation after being charged of publishing false news. The new charge came after a local court released him on the same day before the Public Prosecutor detained him for investigation. Director of the Public Prosecutor Mohammed Salah noted that “we will continue to hold the defendant pending investigation over another case reported by the Cyber Crime Directorate involving spreading and publishing false news and tendentious rumors on the internal situation in the Kingdom, which undermine its prestige.”