After four years in prison, Bahrain has released prominent activist Nabeel Rajab at the urging of the United Nations, Western governments and human rights groups.
Rajab, 55, had been held in Jau Prison since 2016 on various charges the UN says violated his freedom of expression. In 2018, he received a five-year sentence for tweets alleging abuse at the prison, as well as criticism of Bahrain’s involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Rajab was also serving a two-year sentence for criticizing the tiny island kingdom in television interviews.