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August 17, 2012

U.S. Calls on Bahrain to Vacate Charges Against Human Rights Activist Nabeel Rajab 
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The State Department is calling on the kingdom of Bahrain to vacate
charges against a prominent human rights activist who has just been
sentenced to three years in prison. Nabeel Rajab, the president of the
Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was detained in June after criticizing
the U.S.-backed Bahraini regime in Twitter messages and in media
appearances, including one on Democracy Now! recently. He was sentenced
to three years this week in what Amnesty International called "the end
of the facade of reform in Bahrain." Speaking to reporters on Thursday,
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland initially declined to
denounce Rajab's sentence but soon called for the case to be dropped
after further questioning.

Reporter: "Are you telling the Bahrainis that you think he should be
released?"

Victoria Nuland: "I don’t think that we are now that the sentence has
come down. We’re not getting in the middle of that. We’ve said from
the beginning that we thought that this case shouldn’t have gone
forward."

Reporter: "Well, I understand that. But it is appropriate while the case
is still pending for you to be calling for him to be released, but
once..."

Victoria Nuland: "This case he’s–this case he has now been
sentenced..."

Reporter: "I understand that."

Victoria Nuland: "And the other case hasn’t — hasn’t come
forward."

Reporter: "But since you think that it’s inappropriate and shouldn’t
have..."

Victoria Nuland: "Well, obviously, we think —"
bq. Reporter: "You certainly want him freed?"

Victoria Nuland: "Obviously, we think that this should be vacated."

 

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