(MENAFN) A prominent activist in Bahrain has been sentenced to five years in jail over tweets alleging torture at a prison in his country and criticizing Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen.
The case against Nabeel Rajab, a human rights defender and major figure in the tiny island nation's 2011 Arab Spring protests, has been widely criticized internationally.
Rajab previously had been sentenced to two years in prison over television interviews he gave that included criticisms of Bahrain, an island off Saudi Arabia that's home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The latest sentence was announced Wednesday.
As part of a wide crackdown on all dissent in Bahrai, Rajab was detained since June 2016. He has been hospitalized several times during his incarceration over heart problems and ulcers.
In January 25, 2018, Bahrain Center for Human Rights(BCHR) have said that several elements are strongly suggesting that the safety of Nabeel Rajab is endangered, as he is in deep need of medical assistance and the conditions are not gathered for the medical care offered by the Ministry of Interior Hospital to be considered adequate, trusted and reliable.
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