Nabeel Rajab

The verdict of prominent human rights defender Mr Nabeel Rajab's appeal of his three-year prison sentence is due to be issued on 10 September 2012.

This comes after his conviction on 16 August 2012 on charges of illegal assembly and disturbing public order by the Bahraini Lower Criminal Court.

Following his wife's visit on 4 September 2012, which was cut short from one hour to 25 minutes, Sumaya Rajab confirmed that Nabeel Rajab has been subjected to ill-treatment in the form of humiliating personal inspections.

She reported that he had been repeatedly stripped down to his underwear and then forced to stand and sit 40 times. This repeated treatment exacerbated the severe back pain he suffers from due to a herniated disc. Furthermore, he has been beaten on the back on a regular basis and he has been restricted to six litres of water per week, even though he suffers from kidney problems and gallbladder stones. It was also reported that he has been denied the appropriate medical attention.

He continues to be held in solitary confinement.

Nabeel Rajab is President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and Director of the Gulf Centre for Human Rights. He has campaigned around the world to bring attention to human rights abuses in Bahrain, including the case of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja.

In light of the reported ill-treatment of Nabeel Rajab, Front Line Defenders expresses serious concern for his physical and psychological integrity. Front Line Defenders reiterates its calls on the Bahraini authorities to quash the conviction of Nabeel Rajab, to drop any outstanding charges against him and to effect his immediate and unconditional release.