Bahrain court lifts travel ban on rights activist

A court in Bahrain today lifted a travel ban on a prominent human rights activist who was held for questioning and detained for several weeks on arrival in the Gulf kingdom in August.
The decision was announced at the opening session of Maryam al-Khawaja's trial. She is charged with assaulting police during questioning at the airport. She was detained for several weeks before her release late last month.
"She denies the charges completely," her lawyer Mohamed Ahmed told The Associated Press.
Her father, leading rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, is serving a life sentence in connection to his role in 2011 anti-government protests spearheaded by the country's majority Shiites.

Al-Khawaja, a dual Bahraini-Danish citizen, told the AP that she has not yet decided if she will leave Bahrain. Her case has been adjourned until Nov. 5.
Representatives from various European embassies in Bahrain, including the Danish embassy, attended the hearing.

Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, is led by a Sunni monarchy that has struggled to quell Shiite protests demanding greater rights and equal treatment. The government's handling of the unrest has drawn criticism from international rights groups.
Earlier this week, a court in Bahrain stripped nine Shiite Bahrainis of their nationality and sentenced them to life in prison. The public prosecutor said the group was found guilty of smuggling weapons from Iran and recruiting others for terrorist activity. They have the right to appeal.

That brings to 50 the number of Bahrainis stripped of their nationality since protests erupted more than three years ago.