Bahrain Mirror: A Bahraini Court held (on Wednesday October 19, 2016) its first trial hearings in the case of Bahraini journalist Faisal Hayat, and adjourned his case until November 2 for pleading.

The court had rejected a request by the defense body to release Hayat under any guarantee it finds suitable, and decided to keep him in custody.

Authorities had arrested Hayat days after he addressed a post on his Facebook account, to Bahrain's Interior Minister, in which he spoke of his torture on the hands of Interior Minister Personnel when he was arrested in 2011. His post came in response to the Minister's allegations that security apparatuses' personnel "fear God and do not torture anyone."

The Public Prosecution accused Hayat of insulting a certain "community", when he "tweeted" something related to Ashura, and mentioned Yazid bin Mouawiya, who killed Imam Hussein, the Shiites' third Imam.

Journalists without borders has condemned Hayat's arrest, and demanded his immediate release.

Arabic Version