Summary: Bahrain Press Association (BPA) said that systematic and unjust Government policies continue to restrict what is left from the margin of press and media freedom in the country.

Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain Press Association (BPA) said that systematic and unjust Government policies continue to restrict what is left from the margin of press and media freedom in the country.

It added in its annual report issued on (May 3, 2017) on the "World Press Freedom Day" that it documented rising of violations to around 359 violations of basic rights such as; freedom of media, freedom of opinion, and expression

It added "The annual report of the "Bahrain Press Association" 2016 is entitled: "Bahrain: Finishing Off The Margin," to indicate that the Government policies today, after successfully encircling the space of the private media and twist it, turned to the rest of the margin of communication tools to twist it, and to fill any gaps that might allow producing or trading what you don't want to hear, read, or see."

"The Government depended in undermining this electronic margin on terrorizing journalists, citizens, politicians, and human rights activists through security and judicial targeting and depriving them of their right to express, under the deliberate disruption of domestic and international charters pledge, as well as respect for the country's Constitution," the association went on to say.

Since 2011 and so far, the "Bahrain Press Association" records show around 1253 violation of basic rights. The association stressed that 2016 was a difficult year for those working in "the media and all its related fields as well as the digital/internet civil press and photographers".

The control extended to private chat Apps. The recorded cases referred people for trial due to their expression of views on social networking applications such as WhatsApp. The authorities also banned the use of the application Telegram due to the difficulty in monitoring it. The information Affairs Authority stopped renewing the licenses of the correspondents of international news agencies and foreign media in Bahrain without valid reason.

Bahrain Press Association demands the major states and United Nations to exert pressure on the government to immediately and unconditionally release of all the detained photographers, journalists and activists who were imprisoned because of their work in covering the protests or in exercising their right to freedom of opinion and expression; halt of prosecutions, arbitrary arrests and judicial trials to Internet activists and journalists; allow the media and press freedoms in the country and the closure of the Office of censorship on the Internet at the Ministry of Communications; end the monopoly of the media and television and radio; and invite the United Nations Special Rapporteur on enhancing and protecting the right to freedom of opinion and expression to schedule an urgent visit to Bahrain.

Read the full report here

Arabic Version