DUBAI: The prosecution in a Bahraini court yesterday presented what it said was evidence against prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab, accused of spreading “false information” about the kingdom, a judicial source said. They submitted an “expert report” that they said confirmed Rajab was in charge of his Twitter account where allegedly offensive tweets were posted, the source said. The defense, for its part, reiterated it case that Rajab was not in control of his account at the time the tweets were posted.

The court had ordered the appointment of an expert from the interior ministry’s cyber crimes unit to determine who was operating Rajab’s Twitter account. The hearing was adjourned to February 21. Rajab is 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. Sunni-ruled Bahrain is part of a Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen. — AFP