A/HRC/32/36/Add.3 Bahrain 396. JUA 27/11/2015. Case no. BHR 9/2015. State reply: 12/12/2015. Alleged arbitrary detention and prosecution of the Secretary General of the main opposition political party in Bahrain, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and a well-known religious figure in the country. 397. PR 16/07/2015. “Bahrain: Freed from jail, now all charges against Nabeel Rajab must be dropped” Observations Responses to communications 398. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Bahrain for its reply to the communication sent during this reporting period. 399. Regarding the case of Mr. Sheikh Ali al Salman, the Secretary General of the main opposition party in Bahrain, the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, and a well-known religious figure in the country (BHR 9/2015), the Special Rapporteur reiterates his serious concerns from his last Observations Report (A/HRC/29/25/Add.3, para. 504). The history of the targeting of Sheikh Ali al Salman and most recently, his sentencing to two years’ imprisonment for his dissenting views and the exercise of his rights to freedom of association and freedom of opinion and expression, remain of serious concern. 400. The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Bahrain for the information provided about the conviction of Sheikh Al Salman and his appeal, which was delayed. However, the Special Rapporteur urges the Government of Bahrain to implement the Opinion of the Working Group of Arbitrary Detention, which concludes that Sheikh Al Salman is arbitrarily deprived of his liberty and calls for his release (A/HRC/WGAD/2015/23, para. 42). The Special Rapporteur would also appreciate additional information about the appeal of Sheikh Al Salman’s sentence, which was delayed in late 2015. 401. In relation to the case of human rights defender, Mr. Nabeel Rajab, the Special Rapporteur acknowledged his release on bail for health reasons and called on the Government to drop the charges against him (PR 16/07/2015). Mr. Rajab was detained and charged for exercising his right to freedom of expression on the social media platform, Twitter and was previously subjected to reprisals. 402. The Special Rapporteur takes this opportunity to remind the Government that the term “association” denotes “any groups of individuals or any legal entities brought together in order to collectively act, express, promote, pursue or defend a field of common interests” and that the term refers to, among others, “civil society organizations, clubs, cooperatives, NGOs, religious associations, political parties, trade unions, foundations or even online associations” (A/HRC/20/27, paras. 51 and 52). He urges the Government of Bahrain to promote and protect the right to freedom of association to everyone in Bahrain, including those exercising their right to express opinions of political dissent. Country visit 403. The Special Rapporteur reminds the Government of Bahrain of his pending requests to visit Bahrain, as indicated by his last letters of 2 September 2011 and 30 October 2013. He trusts that such a visit would allow him to examine first-hand issues relating to his mandate, identify good practices and formulate pertinent recommendations to relevant stakeholders. He looks forward to receiving a positive reply at the earliest possible opportunity. He reiterates that Human Rights Council resolution 15/21, which established 60