Bahrain warns of fake activists after UK convicts Bahraini dissident of terrorism

Bahrain welcomed on Friday the UK’s conviction of a Bahraini dissident on charges of terrorism.

Abdul Raof al-Shayeb, 51, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison by a court in East London.

Shayeb was convicted of terrorism charges after police found a cache of material on his computer, which included military files on bombs, missiles, and destruction, as well as images of him wearing army clothes.

Some of the material was found when Shayeb was stopped four months ago at Gatwick Airport after arriving on a flight from Baghdad.

The prosecution said he possessed information “to bring down [the Bahraini] regime by stealth and force, and by terror tactics.”

Shayeb was awarded asylum in the UK on the basis that he was a human rights activist in Bahrain, where he said he was imprisoned on numerous occasions and tortured for taking part in anti-government protests.

Bahrain said in an official press release on Friday that they had noted “with interest” Shayeb’s conviction and argued that other Bahrainis had falsely sought asylum in the UK by claiming to be human rights activists.

“The Bahrain government has consistently asserted that a number of individuals, including Abdul Raof al-Shayab, who are known to be political extremists, and involved in the planning or committing of terrorist acts, have acted under the guise of human rights activism, and have used this as a pretext for seeking asylum in Europe,” the statement read.

Since Shayeb successfully won UK asylum he has become well known as a human rights activist in London and met with numerous political figures. Among the politicians he has met is Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who Sheyeb says he has spoken to “many times” about the situation in Bahrain.

During his trial Shayeb told court that he had acted as a spokesperson for the 14 February Coalition, a Bahraini opposition group that has been involved in violence and has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks targeting police in the Gulf state.

During his trial the 14 February Coalition had released statements expressing “solidarity” with Shayeb.

Bahraini authorities have consistently accused the opposition of having links with outside forces, principally Iran, evoking a sectarian narrative that the Shia Muslim opposition is working covertly with their co-religionists in Tehran. 

As for Shayeb, Bahraini authorities have previously convicted him in absentia on charges relating to incitement, violence, and terrorism, and sentenced him to serve 15 years in prison should he return to the kingdom.

On Friday Bahrain said that Shayeb is still wanted for his alleged involvement in a serious of other “terrorism cases”.

The official Bahraini statement quoted their ambassador in London as having said: “Bahrain has always held the UK judicial system in the highest regard, and Shayab’s conviction was a further instance of the rule of law prevailing over those who seek to undermine our values through acts of terrorism.”

The official Bahraini statement said that the Gulf kingdom “is unwavering in its commitment to cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism”.