Gommillee un Human RolotionG -September 20, 2018 City Council Meeting
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Nabeel Rajab is a prominent human rights defender and democracy advocate in Bahrain; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed by Alderman Scott Waguespack of Nabeel Rajab's imprisonment in Bahrain due to his human rights work; and
WHEREAS, Nabeel Rajab is a co-founder1 and president2 ofthe Bahrain Centre for Human Rights; and
WHEREAS, Nabeel Rajab is a founding director ofthe Gulf Centre for Human Rights3; and
WHEREAS, Nabeel Rajab is a member of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch's Middle East Division ; and
WHEREAS, Nabeel Rajab has served as the Deputy Secretary General for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH); and
WHEREAS, in 2011 Nabeel Rajab was awarded the Ion Ratui Democracy Award by the . Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars ; and
WHEREAS, on February 21, 2018 Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to five years in jail for tweets concerning the war in Yemen and allegations of torture at Jaw Prison , a sentence upheld on appeal and still to be appealed before the Court of Cassation ; and
1 https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/nabeel-rajab
2
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/world/middleeast/nabeel-rajab-bahrain-twitter.html 3 https://www.gc4hr.org/page/about_us
4
https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/12/18/middle-east-and-north-africa-division-advisory-committ ee-members
5
https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/bahrain/Bahrain-FIDH-Demands-the-l mmediate
6
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/bahraini-human-rights-activist-nabeel-rajab-to-receive-20 11-ion-ratiu-democracy-award
7
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/world/middleeast/nabeel-rajab-bahrain-twitter.html
8
WHEREAS, the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of Nabeel Rajab on behalf of human rights around the world serve as an example to all; and
WHEREAS, respect for and protection of freedom of expression is a core value of the Chicago City Council; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this twenty-fifth day of July, 2018, do hereby declare Nabeel Rajab to be an Honorary Citizen of the City of Chicago, and call for his immediate and unconditional release; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Nabeel Rajab and to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/06/bahrain-nabeel-rajab-unfair-conviction-for-tw itter-posts-upheld/