SHAFAQNA – A statement issued on behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (July 14, 2017) in Geneva, said that his office is “deeply concerned that Nabeel Rajab, a co-founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was sentenced on 10 July to two years in prison simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression and opinion.
Moreover, the statement noted that Mr. Rajab has been detention since June 2016, adding, “We call on the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him.”
“The continuing restrictions on civil society and political activists and the targeting of human rights defenders and organizations in Bahrain are deeply worrying. We urge the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with Bahrain’s obligations under international human rights law, in particular to guarantee the freedoms of expression, opinion and association and the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty,” the statement went on to say.