Alwaght- Bahrain officials say the reporter of the Franc 24 news channel will be put on trial early next year, Bahrain Mirror news site reported
Nazeeha Saeed, has been reporting for France 24 television news network and Paris-based Radio Monte-Carlo Doualiya for years.
She was called to the public prosecutor’s office on July 17 and was charged with "working for foreign media outlets without a permit.”
On Monday, Bahrain's Public Prosecution set January 16 as the date for her hearing as the initial stage of trial that could last for months.
This came two weeks after Bahraini officials imposed a travel ban on her. She learned about the ban on June 29, after she was prevented from boarding a flight.
Saeed’s license expired earlier this year but Bahrain’s Information Affairs Authority (IAA) refused to renew it. She faces a fine of up to 1,000 Bahraini dinars ($2,652).
In May 2011, Saeed was tortured by Bahraini regime forces for reporting on pro-democracy demonstrations in the kingdom. In November 2015, Bahraini authorities decided not to prosecute her torturers.
Thousands of anti-regime protesters have held numerous demonstrations in Bahrain on an almost daily basis ever since a popular uprising began in the kingdom in February 2011.
Manama has gone to great lengths to clamp down on dissent and rights activists. On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to assist the Manama government in its crackdown.
