[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5272]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NABEEL RAJAB--DEFENDING FREEDOMS PROJECT

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the international sports 
spotlight will focus on the Bahrain Grand Prix. But will that spotlight 
shine into Bahrain's prisons as well?
  Nabeel Rajab, a Bahraini human rights activist sentenced to 2 years 
in jail simply for engaging in nonviolent political protest, is one 
prisoner who deserves public attention. Nabeel is a focus of the 
Defending Freedoms Project, a collaborative initiative spearheaded by 
the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that invites Members of Congress 
to stand up for individual prisoners of conscience around the world. 
Today, I invite my colleagues to take part in this important, 
nonpartisan opportunity.
  Nabeel is not alone. The Bahraini Government has also imprisoned 13 
prominent activists, and Amnesty International reports that it may soon 
jail anyone found guilty of insulting the King.
  It is time for the leadership of Formula One Racing to end their 
silence on Bahrain's crackdown. It is time for them to take a stand in 
favor of human rights, and it is time for each of us to speak out for 
the nonviolent human rights defenders like Nabeel Rajab.

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