Prominent Arab Spring activist sentenced to 2 years prison

Nabeel Rajab has been imprisoned since June of last year, and has been hospitalized since April.

Dubai, Jul 10: A prominent Bahraini activist, who led the Arab Spring movement, has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Rights groups say that the verdict is part of a years-long crackdown on dissent that has seen all political opposition groups disbanded and activists jailed or forced into exile.

Nabeel Rajab was sentenced on Monday on charges related to TV interviews he gave in which prosecutors allege he disseminated rumors and false news relating to the situation inside Bahrain.

He has been imprisoned since June of last year, and has been hospitalized since April.

Rajab helped lead Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring protests when tens of thousands of Shiites took to the streets to demand a greater say in government from the Sunni monarchy.

PTI