Bahrain urged by UN to release activist

A special UN panel is urging Bahrain to release imprisoned activist Nabeel Rajab, describing him as the victim of governmentsponsored “persecution” for his political views in the kingdom.

Thestatementbytheun’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention comes as Rajab is serving a five-year sentence for tweets he sent, a case widely criticised internationally as the kingdom’s government continues a crackdown on dissent. He faces further time in prison on other charges denounced abroad.

“Mr Rajab’s political views and convictions are clearly at the centre of the present case and that the authorities have displayed an attitude towards him that can only be characterised as discriminatory,” the panel said.”

Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet and a British naval base, disputed the panel’s findings.