A Bahraini court ordered the release of prominent Shiite activist Nabeel Rajab on Wednesday pending his trial on charges of spreading false information and posting insults online, a judicial source said.
The decision follows repeated requests to release Mr Rajab, 52, who has suffered recurring health problems.
The court postponed his trial to January 23, the source said, adding that Mr Rajab attended the hearing.
The human rights activist was pardoned for health reasons last year, but rearrested in June. He is now on trial on a list of charges, including insulting a state institution and Saudi Arabia in online postings.
Mr Rajab is also accused of “spreading false news and rumours and inciting propaganda during wartime which could undermine the war operations by the Bahraini armed forces and weaken the nation”, according to state media.
Bahrain is part of the Saudi-led coalition battling Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Mr Rajab has been repeatedly detained for organising protests and publishing tweets deemed insulting to Bahrain’s Sunni authorities.
He previously served two years in jail on charges of taking part in unauthorised protests in the Shiite-majority kingdom.
* Agence France-Presse
