Bahrain Mirror: The sentencing of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, in his absence, to two years in prison for TV interviews is the latest shocking display of zero tolerance for freedom of expression by the Bahraini authorities, Amnesty International said Monday (July 10, 2017)

"Imprisoning Nabeel Rajab simply for sharing his opinion is a flagrant violation of human rights, and an alarming sign that the Bahraini authorities will go to any length to silence criticism," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General.

"Nabeel Rajab should be commended for shedding light on allegations of serious human rights abuses; instead, Bahrain's government and judiciary have once again tightened their chokehold on freedom of expression and branded him a criminal. No one should be jailed for speaking out about human rights," he further added.

"Nabeel Rajab has been persecuted for years for speaking out against human rights abuses. We reiterate our call on Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him, and we are urging them to end their crackdown on freedom of expression and ensure the right of everyone in Bahrain to peacefully express themselves," said Salil Shetty.

The High Criminal Court in Manama found him guilty on Monday (July 10, 2017), of "publishing and disseminating rumors and false news".

Nabeel Rajab was jailed in June 2016 over tweets he made that alleged torture in a Bahraini prison, and criticized the killing of civilians in the Yemen conflict by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.

On 28 December 2016 a Bahraini court ordered his release, but the authorities refused to release him and instead he was immediately re-arrested and taken into custody in relation to TV interviews he gave in 2015 and 2016.

On 14 June Nabeel Rajab's defense lawyers and diplomats from the USA, UK and Australia walked out of court when the judge rejected the lawyers' request to postpone the trial until Nabeel Rajab is fit to attend due to his deteriorating health status.