BPA: Freedom of Expression in Bahrain: Unchanged Deterioration

محروم.كوم · #1 09-21-2012, 10:50 AM

16-09-12 08:14 AM

LONDON, September 15, 2012 – Bahrain Press Association ("BPA"), the London-based association concerned with defending and addressing issues related to Bahraini media and press people, is calling upon the Member States in the United Nations Human Rights Council whose meeting is being held Geneva on September 19, 2012 to put extreme diplomatic pressure on the Bahrain regime as per Freedom of Expression, the Press, and Media in a country that has been undergoing repressive policies against for more than one year and a half.

The BPA is further calling upon the HR Council's Member States to reaffirm the severity of the on-going violations and crimes in Bahrain pertaining to the crimes committed to ban the freedoms of expression, opinion, and conscience. Since February 14, 2011, such crimes have led to the killing of 3 media people with trying; dismissing; and torturing hundreds of press and media people along with human rights activists on trumped-up charges putting anyone exercising their civil liberties on trial.
On-going Violations
The BPA's Monitoring Unit has been witnessing the developments taking place on the Bahraini scene in terms of arrests, restoration of dismissed media personnel, and the outcome of judicial proceedings amid the UN Human Rights Council session on May 21, 2012. It is unfortunate to say that the Monitoring Unit officials were not satisfied with the results that the Bahraini authorities made any tangible measures to fulfill the commitments vowed before the Council and other NGOs. This further exacerbates fear that the regime policies intimidating freedoms are on the rise.
Since the 176 recommendations were made by the Council which addressed the freedom of expression in more than one context, the authorities in Bahrain continued to intimidate press people and put more restrictions on the freedom of expression in many ways.
Procrastination of Trials
The Bahraini authorities still deliberately procrastinate to try those responsible for the killing of Publisher Kareem Fakhrawi and Blogger Zakariya Al Asheeri (both were killed in 2011 while in detention due to sever torture and was later proved and documented by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry "BICI") and Photographer Ahmed Ismail (killed on March 31, 2012 by armed militia of the interior ministry). The authorities also procrastinate to try those responsible of torturing Journalist Nazeeha Saeed whose court session was adjourned until October 7, 2012 to affirm the fact that the regime is delaying the process of bringing those responsible for the killing and torturing of press and media people before justice. As yet, no violator has been brought to account.
In procrastinating the trials of those killers and tortures, the Bahraini regime seems to prosecute foreign policemen make them and postpone their trials to ensure no conviction is reached. This is being done with explicit neglect to the local and international laws in the sense that the accused of killing crimes are free while a total of 800 other people are being illegitimately held in custody on charges like participating in "authorized" demos.
The story does not end here. The family members of the victimized press professionals were also the subject of intimidation. For instance, the widow of Publisher Kareem Fakhrawi was chased by a security squad as she was participating in a demo in the capital city of Manama and was later assaulted.
Ahmed Radhi: Freedom of Expression Victim
The Bahraini authorities still keep Journalist Ahmed Radhi in custody since May 16, 2012. Mr. Radhi's sole crime was a dissenting statement he made to the Arabic section of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The statement centered around rejecting the idea of the then-circulated news that a union between Bahrain and the KSA was called for. Later on, the Bahraini authorities forged charges against Mr. Radhi such as participation in an "authorized" demonstration to manipulate the public opinion both locally and internationally. In a letter sent to his lawyer, Ms. Reem Khalaf, Mr. Radhi emphasized his being subjected to torture and mistreatment before he was forced to sign a confession while blindfolded for three times without bring allowed to read the papers.
On August 2, 2012, the security forces assaulted the photo-journalist Mazin Mahdi, who works for the German news agency DPA. Mr. Mahdi was severely beaten and punched by an armed militia group believed to be reporting to the interior ministry as he was covering a protest called by the opposition in the village of Bani Jamara located to the west of the capital city of Manama.
The Bahraini authorities are still trying bloggers and cyber activists like Mr. Ali Abdulemam and Dr. Abduljalil Al-Sangice who have been handed life imprisonment sentences on lawsuits related to the freedom of expression and freedom of opinion. Needless to say, the Bahraini authorities still ban many foreign journalists from entering Bahrain.
Hunger for Freedom
Since the announcement of the BICI Report in November 2011 and up until this statement has been written, despite the vows made by the Bahraini regime as to reinstating all the dismissed to their jobs, there are more than 200 press professionals of different disciplines (journalists, photographers, news anchors, directors, and bloggers) who are waiting the Bahraini regime to fulfill its commitments. Apparently, the regime is determined to run a mass starvation war against all and everyone with dissenting views with the official perspective on the political crisis in the country, and just looks like-as labeled by the journalists in Bahrain- as ' The Inquisition Courts of the 12 century'.

What the Information Authority, the body responsible for the Information, still makes the headlines in the daily papers owned by members of the ruling family and other regime loyalists who refuse to reinstate dismissed press professionals to their jobs on the grounds of their participation in the protests calling for national reforms that erupted in February 2011.
Bahrain: Enemy of the Internet
The description initiated by Reporters Without Boarders on Bahrain that it is a state enemy to the Internet was the most explanatory expression ever. The regime in Bahrain is intimidating press professionals and human rights activists participating in the social networking websites which present the only window of exercising freedom of expression after the state has fastened its grip on the media. One of the bad practices used by the regime is the disturbance on the broadcasting of Al Lulula TV Channel, which is Bahraini channel being broadcast from London.
The acting manager of the general directorate to combat corruption and cyber and economic security on behalf of the Bahraini regime announced that the interior ministry has launched the so-called program 'Combating defamation and abuse conducted in the social networking websites).
The BPA considers this announcement as a preliminary phase to perform more violations, breaches, and restrictions on the freedom of expression especially with the unstopped arrests of media professionals and human rights defenders to be later charged with crimes related to electronic publication. Mr. Nabeel Rajab, the chair of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights forms a good example for this new type of intimidation.
Conclusion and recommendations
The BPA is hereby calling upon the Member States of the UN Human Rights Council; all NGOs, authorities, unions, whether regional or global, which are concerned with media and journalism along with human rights defenders to intervene into Bahrain and put much pressure on the Bahraini regime to ensure the safety of media personnel in the country. The BPA wishes to have the following procedures in place:
1.To form an independent international committee to investigate into the murder of Blogger Zakariya Al Asheeri, Publisher Kareem Fakhrawi, and Photographer Ahmed Ismail and bring those involved in the murdering to justice;
2.To call upon the Bahraini regime to ensure the recruitment of a permanent delegate of international organizations concerned with the freedom of the press and media (International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Boarders, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)), to function as a watchdog for two years to have a direct supervision on what Bahrain is witnessing as per the violations faced by the media professionals;
3.To suspend the applicability of Law No. 47 pertaining to journalism, print, and publication regulation, the unconditional release of media activists and bloggers who were unfairly charged with crimes related to the freedom of expression and jailed in Bahrain with immediate effect, stop all on-going trials against media professionals being held in the Criminal Courts, review all sentences issued against Bahraini bloggers, and to drop all charges auctioned by the Public Prosecution and leave them to file;
4.To reinstate all dismissed media professionals to their positions in private and public media outlets with fair compensation for the corporeal and incorporeal damages they have sustained since they were arbitrarily dismissed;
5. To separate the external media affairs directorate from the Authority of Information Affairs with the establishment of a temporary committee to regulate journalism and all media-related matters. Such committee shall be run by elected Bahraini journalists until the formation of a higher investigation committee to oversee print and publication; and to establish an independent inquiry committee to investigate the media role as practiced by the Information Authority during the popular uprising in Bahrain and hold those responsible of violations as proved by the BICI accountable; and
6. To stop all repression, trespass, abuse, and intimidation against media professionals and stop all security measures to in order to pave the way for a true realization of freedom of the press and the freedom of expression.
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