(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On July 9, the Fifth Minor Criminal Court in Manama sentenced Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, to three months in jail for allegedly “insulting” the people of the Muharraq Island on Twitter in June.
The appeals court dropped the charges on Thursday but the 48-year-old activist will remain in jail to serve a three-year sentence he received on August 16 for taking part in "unauthorized" protests against Bahrain's monarchy.
During the Thursday hearing, Rajab said he has been subjected to "physical and psychological torture" under arrest.
He said he had been kept in solitary confinement in a "dark cell" and was denied contact with family members.
Human rights groups including Amnesty International have called for Rajab’s immediate release, arguing that the activist has been jailed only for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.
The sentence is "a dark day for justice in Bahrain," Amnesty said.
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