Editing Office - Geneva

On 31 December, Bahrain's Court of Cassation will issue a final verdict on the appeal of Nabeel Rajab's five-year prison sentence for peaceful tweets. He is being persecuted for defending the freedoms in his country, but also for denouncing the crimes committed by the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen. A symbolic activist, he is the subject of several international solidarity campaigns requesting his release, and was recently made honorary citizen of the city of Paris. The date set by the Bahraini justice system for ruling on his latest appeal is deliberate, suggesting his sentence may be confirmed, or indeed extended.