Bahrain Mirror: The security authorities in Bahrain released the former Al-Wefaq bloc MP, Ali Al-Ashiri. A picture of him was circulated on social media after his release on Tuesday evening (November 27, 2018). The Public Prosecution in Bahrain had ordered detaining him (November 13, 2018) for writing a tweet saying that he and his family would not participate in the elections. On November 21, 2018, he was referred to court over charges of "misuse of a telephone". Lawyer Mohammed Al-Tajer said the minor criminal court would look into the case on November 27.

"The Public Prosecutor's Office received a report from the Anti-Electronic Crime Department to monitor tweets on a person's Twitter account, including incitement to not participate in the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections in a manner that would target the freedom of voting and influence the integrity of the electoral process," Chief Prosecutor and Chairman of the Commission for the Investigation of Electoral Crimes Muhanna Al-Shayji said on Tuesday (November 13, 2018)

"Accordingly, the Commission initiated the summoning of the account owner, and began to interrogate him, ordering him to be held on bail after being charged with violating the freedom of referendum and disrupting the electoral process, in preparation for referral to the competent court."

It was reported that the investigation focused on a tweet he posted on his Twitter page in which he said: "Some still ask, are you going to vote in the elections? As if they are living and following the tense political situation in Bahrain. I am a Bahraini citizen deprived of my political and civil rights; so my family and I will boycott the parliamentary and municipal elections and [say] no to the political isolation law."

Arabic Version