One of Bahrain’s most prominent activists was sentenced Monday to two years in prison in a verdict that rights groups say is the latest in a years-long crackdown on dissent that has seen all political opposition groups disbanded and activists jailed or forced into exile. The US State Department has expressed concern over Rajab’s arrest and curbs on freedom of expression in Bahrain. Rajab has been hospitalized since April and did not attend the past nine hearings, the Bahrain Institute for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement. Rajab faces another trial and up to 15 years in prison on separate charges related to tweets he wrote about alleged torture in Bahraini prisons. Over the past two years, the Bahraini government has moved to silence all major opposition parties and has stripped dozens of people of their nationality and sentenced others to execution or lengthy prison terms.

Source: Egypt Independent July 11, 2017 12:45 UTC