Intl rights groups say they fear for Bahraini activist Rajab’s health

International rights groups said on Thursday that they fear for the health of jailed Bahraini activist, Nabeel Rajab, AFP reported. Rajab, a leading figure in the 2011 protests that erupted in Bahrain, was sentenced to two years in jail last July for “disseminating rumors and false information” in interviews that were critical of the government. He also faces a potential 15-year sentence in a second case linked to tweets criticizing Saudi Arabia and its allies, including Bahrain, over their military intervention in the Yemen war. Three regional rights groups – the Gulf Center for Human Rights, the World Organization Against Torture, and the International Federation for Human Rights – said the Bahraini government had denied healthcare to and “detained, imprisoned, tortured… or forced into exile” a number of prominent dissidents. The organizations said they had evidence that Manama had withheld medication for Rajab, who has been hospitalized multiple times in recent years.