Bahrain court postpones Nabeel Rajab’s verdict

Manama : A Bahraini court Monday postponed its verdict in the trial of activist  Nabeel Rajab charged with spreading false information and posting insults online, a judicial source said.

The criminal court that had been expected to issue a ruling at Monday's hearing decided in Rajab's presence to defer the decision until December 15.

The court ordered the appointment of an expert from the Interior Ministry's Cyber Crimes Unit to determine who was operating Rajab's Twitter account, the source said.

The activist, who had been pardoned for health reasons last year, was re-arrested in June and is on trial on a list of charges, including insulting a state institution and Saudi Arabia in online postings.

He is also accused of "spreading false news and rumors and inciting propaganda during wartime which could undermine the war operations by the Bahraini armed forces and weaken the nation", according to state media.

Rajab, 51, has been repeatedly detained for organizing protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to Bahrain's authorities.

He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorized protests in the kingdom.