Dubai: A Bahraini court on Thursday postponed until October 31 its verdict in the trial of activist Nabeel Rajab, who was charged with spreading false information and posting online insults, a judicial source said.
The criminal court, with Rajab present behind bars during proceedings, was scheduled to give its verdict at Thursday’s hearing.
The activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was re-arrested in June and is on trial on a number of charges including insulting a state institution and Saudi Arabia in online postings.
Rajab is also accused of “spreading false news and rumours and inciting propaganda during wartime which could undermine the war operations by the Bahraini armed forces and weaken the nation”, state news agency BNA reported on Thursday.
Bahrain is part of a Saudi-led coalition battling Al Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The court had repeatedly ordered that Rajab, 51, remain in custody throughout the trial. He has recurring health problems for which he was briefly hospitalised in late June.
Rajab has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to Bahrain’s authorities. He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorised protests in the kingdom.
