Bahrain Mirror: The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), said that the travel ban against the Bahraini human rights activist, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), FIDH Deputy Secretary General and member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East Division Nabeel Rajab continues to be imposed.

The Observatory added in a statement on Monday (December 21, 2015) that Rajab's lawyers submitted on December 3, 2015 a second petition to the Attorney-General requesting the lift of the travel ban imposed on him on July 13, 2015. Earlier, the lawyers of Mr. Rajab had appealed the travel ban with the investigation prosecutor on September 2, 2015, with the Attorney-General on September 16, and the office of the Public Prosecution on October 1, 2015; yet they didn't receive any response to such appeals until now.

In a written request to the Attorney General, according to the Observatory, Rajab's lawyers raised a matter of urgency, as the health of Mr. Rajab's wife is continuously deteriorating and she needs treatment outside of Bahrain, accompanied by Mr. Rajab.

It further condemned the continued travel ban imposed on Nabeel Rajab considering that it is targeting him "for his human rights activities", calling on the Bahraini authorities to immediately lift the travel ban, and drop all charges against him.

The Observatory urges the Bahraini authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment against Mr. Rajab, and to comply with relevant international human rights standards and instruments, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1998.

The Observatory concluded its statement urging the Bahraini authorities to "immediately lift the travel ban imposed on Mr. Nabeel Rajab, and drop all charges against him, guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Rajab as well as all human rights defenders in Bahrain, put an end to any act of harassment, including that at the judicial level against Rajab and against all human rights defenders in Bahrain, and conform in all circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Arabic Issue: