A special United Nations panel is urging Bahrain to immediately release imprisoned activist Nabeel Rajab, describing him as the victim of government-sponsored "persecution" for his political views in the island kingdom.
The statement by the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention comes as Rajab is serving a five-year prison sentence for tweets he sent, a case widely criticised internationally as the kingdom's government continues a crackdown on dissent.
He faces further time in prison on other charges similarly denounced abroad.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet and a British naval base, did not immediately respond to a request for comment today on the panel's statement. The kingdom did not respond to the UN panel's questions regarding Rajab's case.
"Mr Rajab's political views and convictions are clearly at the centre of the present case and that the authorities have displayed an attitude towards him that can only be characterized as discriminatory," the panel said.
"He has been the target of persecution, including deprivation of liberty, for many years and there is no other explanation for this except that he is exercising his right to express such views and convictions."
The UN panel criticised those laws being as "vague and overly broad."
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