GENEVA: Bahrain faced calls at the U.N. Monday to release political prisoners, including prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab charged with tweeting insults against government.
 
The Gulf kingdom came under scrutiny by members of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which is examining Bahrain’s rights record as part of its four-yearly review process.
 
“France condemns the arbitrary arrests and ongoing charges against defenders of human rights, trade unionists and campaigners for simply expressing their opinions,” said French ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Nicolas Niemtchinow, who highlighted the case of Rajab and prominent fellow activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja.
 
Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, has been leading anti-government protests following a brutal crackdown on demonstrations against the ruling Al-Khalifa dynasty in March 2011.
 
Rajab was detained May 5 for “insulting a statutory body via Twitter” and faces trial for taking part in a Manama demonstration three months ago.
 
Khawaja was convicted last June of plotting to overthrow the government and has been on a hunger strike since Feb. 8.
 
Khawaja’s daughter Zeinab was also convicted Monday for insulting a government employee and trying to stage a protest in Manama during Bahrain’s Formula One Grand Prix, and her lawyer said she was still detained pending trial in a different case.
 
“She was fined 200 dinars [$530] for insulting a public servant,” lawyer Mohammad al-Jishi told Reuters, adding the court will try her for attempting to stage a protest on May 24.
 
“She could be fined again or sentenced to prison,” he said.
 
At the meeting France requested a “humanitarian response” for the dissident, and Denmark said he should be released for treatment.
 
The U.S. meanwhile called for a review of the convictions of all people involved in nonviolent protests, and Britain recommended new trials for all defendants convicted in military courts.
 
HRC members and observers welcomed the setting up of an independent commission of inquiry following the crackdown in which 35 people were killed but said more must be done to implement its recommendations.
 
Bahraini Human Rights Minister Salah bin Ali Mohammad Abdel-Rahman said “radical measures and progressive steps” had been taken to overcome the “sad and unfortunate events” of March 2011.
 
Some of the recommendations required legislative amendments and this “may take some time,” he said.
 
But the minister told the meeting Bahrain held no prisoners on charges relating to freedom of expression.
 
“Any such charges have been withdrawn. The only cases [remaining] are criminal cases. These cases are being looked at by the judiciary, therefore the government cannot interfere,” he said.