21 February 2018•Update: 22 February 2018
By Ahmed al-Masri
DOHA
A Bahraini court on Wednesday slapped a prominent rights activist with a 5-year jail term for his criticism of a Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen and accusing the authorities of torture.
Nabi Rajab was jailed for spreading false news and insulting a neighboring country and state institutions, Bahraini daily Akhbar al-Khaleej reported.
Rajab’s Twitter account confirmed that the activist had been sentenced to five years in prison.
Wednesday’s verdict is still subject to appeal.
There was no imminent comment from Bahraini authorities on the report.
The activist was put on trial over recent tweets in which he accused the Bahraini authorities of torture and criticizing the Saudi-led air campaign in war-torn Yemen, in which Bahrain is a member.
Rajab is already serving a two-year jail term on charges of spreading false news.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive military campaign in Yemen to shore up the Saudi-backed
Yemeni government, which was forced to flee to Riyadh after Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse the Houthis of being a proxy force for Shia Iran.
