Bahraini activist freed on bail

A prominent Bahraini opposition activist accused of organizing  illegal protests and insulting authorities in the Gulf Arab state was freed from jail on Monday after being granted bail, his lawyer said.   

Nabeel Rajab is the founder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights and led many protests that were part of an uprising led by the Shi'ite Muslim majority against the Sunni Al Khalifa dynasty that rules the island kingdom.   

Bahrain's Shi'ites complain they have long been marginalized in political and economic life, which the government denies. But there has been no progress on the main opposition demand for a parliament with full powers to legislate and form governments.   

The court freed Rajab on 300 Bahraini dinar ($796) bail with a travel ban, his lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told Reuters.   

"The case is still ongoing. There is no verdict yet, but he was released on bail and the next court hearing is on June 17," Jishi said by telephone from Manama.   

Bahrain, a U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by Shi'ites erupted last year after revolts in Egypt and Tunisia.   

Rajab, who was arrested on May 6, is facing two charges. The first one is "insulting an official authority" which centers on four messages posted on the social media site Twitter that suggested the interior ministry had not carried out proper investigations into civilian deaths.   

The second charge - organizing illegal demonstrations - could land Rajab with two years in jail, Jishi had said.   

Rajab rose to prominence last year when he became a leading campaigner against the crackdown. With 140,000 followers on Twitter he is one of the best known online activists in the Arab world.   

Bahrain's rulers have rejected opposition calls for an elected government and protests and clashes with police continue. The authorities have dubbed the opposition Iranian lackeys because most of them are Shi'ites, like most people in Iran.   

They say they will get tough on security as talks with the opposition stalled.   

The desire to contain Shi'ite dissent in Bahrain and counter Iran's sway drove efforts to unify the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which stumbled at a meeting of their leaders earlier this month.   

On Sunday, a Bahraini court sentenced six people to 15 years in jail each for plotting with Iran to stage attacks on targets including the Saudi embassy and the Interior Ministry.   

Reuters