On 22 and 23 November, Europeans criticised the Bahraini Appeals Court's rejection on Wednesday 22 November of the appeal by activist Nabeel Rajab. Rajab's sentence is two years in prison for "the propagation of false news" after he gave televised interviews in Bahrain in 2015 and 2016.
In a statement to EUROPE, an EU spokesperson said on 23 November that this rejection was "a worrying development, which is not conducive to national reconciliation". The spokesperson called for Rajab's release on "humanitarian grounds", and said that Rajab had served consecutive prison sentences since his arrest, despite his poor state of health.
According to the spokesperson, "suppressing voices of dissent contributes to fuelling resentment and instability". "The EU has urged the government of Bahrain to show that it is committed to a genuine reform agenda by upholding the universal rights of freedom of expression and assembly and to reconsider charges against citizens accused or convicted as a result of the peaceful expression of their opinion", the spokesperson added.
The previous day, the chair of the European Parliament's sub-committee on human rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, Italy) said he was "very alarmed" by the Bahrain court's decision, which "goes against international law, and his detention violates Nabeel Rajab’s right to freedom of expression". "This case should never have gone to trial in the first place. I call therefore on the government of Bahrain to reconsider its decision and re-examine Mr Nabeel Rajab’s appeal in the light of evidence provided by his defence", Panzeri added. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for Rajab's release. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)