Bahrain’s Nabeel Rajab freed

One of Bahrain’s most prominent human rights activists was released from prison on 24 May, after serving almost two years. Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), was sentenced in August 2012 to three years in jail for organising unlicensed protests and inciting violence. An appeals court later reduced his sentence by a year. Rajab was greeted by dozens of supporters following his release; he also stopped at the grave of his mother, who died while he was in jail. The BCHR maintains that Rajab had only advocated peaceful demonstrations, to defend civil and human rights in Bahrain.