Bahrain: On September 27, 2017, a Bahraini court postponed for the 16th time the trial of Nabeel Rajab and rescheduled it for November 19, 2017. Rajab is president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and is facing charges for his Twitter posts criticizing Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen. Currently, Rajab is serving a two-year sentence for “publishing and disseminating rumors and false news” for his New York Times article about Bahrain?s human rights abuses. He is in the Ministry of Interior Hospital, where he has spent the past five months recovering from surgery and other illnesses that have been exacerbated by harsh prison conditions. The government of Bahrain has used trial delays and new charges to keep Rajab behind bars since he was detained in June 2016.

New charges were filed against Rajab after Zeid Raad Al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, criticized Bahrain?s incessant attacks on civil society and the country’s “democratic shutdown” earlier this month. The following day, Bahrain?s Public Prosecution charged Rajab with “spreading false news,” “inciting hatred against the regime,” and “inciting non-compliance with the law.” The charges are in connection to January 2017 Twitter and Instagram posts created by someone claiming to be Rajab. During this time, Rajab was in police custody without internet access. Click here to call for justice for Rajab and demand the government of Bahrain #SetThemFree!

Cameroon: The World Movement welcomes President Paul Biya?s recent decision to drop the charges against three anglophone political prisoners in Cameroon. Felix Agbor Balla, Fontem Neba, and Paul Ayah Abine were detained shortly after pro-democracy demonstrations swept through the English-speaking regions last year. Teachers, lawyers, and other members of civil society organized the peaceful protests to draw attention to the systematic marginalization of Anglophone Cameroonians. Massive protests erupted again in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon on September 22, 2017. Security forces shot and killed at least five people and injured several protesters.

Since their release last month, the civil society leaders have mobilized citizens to free others who were also arrested for their participation in the demonstrations. Click here to express your support for their efforts to #SetThemFree!

Egypt: Egyptian authorities’ crackdown on human rights continues to intensify with the arrest of 24 Nubian civil society activists last month. On September 21, 2017, the Egyptian court decided to prolong the detainment of the activists for 15 days while authorities conduct an investigation.

The 24 activists are facing charges for “illegally protesting,” “receiving funds from foreign sources,” and “disrupting public order.” The activists were arrested in Aswan during a peaceful march calling for the right of Nubians to return to their historical lands after waves of forced displacement between 1912 and 1964. Learn more about the crackdown on human rights in Egypt and how you can help at helpsetthemfree.org/Egypt.