Manama: A Bahraini appeals court on Tuesday upheld a five-year jail sentence in a case against activist Nabeel Rajab linked to social media, a rights group and family member said.
Rajab was convicted of insulting the state, “deliberately disseminating ... false or malicious news” and “publicly offending a foreign country”, a reference to Saudi Arabia.
The charges are linked to tweets and retweets made on Rajab’s account that were critical of the Saudi-led coalition, including Bahrain, fighting in Yemen in support of its legitimate government since 2015.
He also tweeted criticism of the Bahraini government’s treatment of prisoners.
Tuesday’s verdict, reported by the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and confirmed to AFP by a family member of Rajab, can still be appealed at Bahrain’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court.
In 2011, protests unfolded in Bahrain, largely seen as part of the so-called Arab Spring across several Arab countries.
The Bahraini government has accused Iranian authorities of backing the protests in a bid to overthrow it. Tehran denies involvement.
Rajab is already serving a two-year sentence for “disseminating rumours and false information” in television interviews.
He has served multiple stints in prison since 2012.
