A 62-year-old Bahraini protester has been sentenced to three months in prison for hanging a national flag from his truck during a 2011 rally. The case comes after tougher penalties were introduced for insults to the Gulf nation’s ruler or symbols.
Prosecutors stated that draping the flag over a vehicle during
the 2011 rally was an offense under the new restrictions,
Associated Press reported adding that the specific charges remained
unclear.
Abdulla Sayegh admitted that he attended pro-reform protests,
however maintained that many Bahrainis fly flags from vehicles
during all kinds of gatherings, be it celebrations, anti-government
or pro-government rallies.
The demonstrator plans to appeal the jail sentence and the 100
dinar ($265) fine, according to his defense lawyer Hashim
Saleh.
This comes after six tweeters were jailed on Wednesday for
posting comments about King Hamad bin Issa al Khalifa, which the
court regarded as ‘abusing freedom of expression.’
In April, Bahrain introduced stricter penalties making it
illegal to insult the Gulf state’s King Hamad or national symbols,
charges that carry up to five-year jail sentences.
These measures come against the background of two years of
protests led by the kingdom’s majority Shiites against the minority
Sunni-led government. The protesters are continuingly calling for a
transfer to a democratic system of government. Shiites complain of
discrimination in jobs and government while in turn their loyalty
is questioned by the Al Khalifa ruling family.
Rallies intensified as Bahrain was to host a Formula 1 race on
April 21, protestors labeling the event ‘race for blood’ as
it overshadows the many alleged human rights abuses in the Gulf
kingdom. Human Rights Watch cites multiple reports of physical and
psychological torture that emerged during the grand prix.
Earlier in the week, the kingdom for the second time canceled
the visit of the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez,
who was to probe police abuses of power.
More than 80 people have died in uprisings since the
pro-democracy protests begun in February 2011, according to Human
Rights Watch. The government denies the allegations of
discrimination and of arbitrary arrests and abuses by security
forces.
This article originally appeared on : RT