DUBAI Prominent Bahraini Shiite activist Nabil Rajab issued an appeal on Sunday for “serious dialogue” in the country following his release after serving a two-year jail term.
Rajab was arrested in 2011 during Shiite-led anti-government protests and was jailed for taking part in “unauthorised” demonstrations.
He was freed on Saturday, and is now calling for a fresh round of dialogue between the government and the opposition.
“Unfortunately, the situation today is worse than when I went to jail because of an upsurge in violence, which we reject,” Rajab told AFP by telephone.
“The only solution is a serious dialogue between the royal family and the opposition” dominated by the Shiite movement Al Wefaq, said Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.
“Attempts at dialogue undertaken in the past were not serious and were rather messages to reassure international public opinion” about the situation in Bahrain, he said.
The opposition has campaigned for the establishment of a genuine constitutional monarchy in Bahrain.
It took part in two rounds of national dialogue, before quitting the negotiations complaining that the authorities were not prepared to make enough concessions.
