The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR) said that 373 media materials and messages inciting hatred or help to incite hatred were monitored in July through following what was published in 4 official Bahraini newspapers, 36 accounts on social media, and 9 articles in Gulf and Arab newspapers. The BFHR added that the Gulf crisis with Qatar and a broad interpretation of the concept of terrorism were exploited to distort the image of the national opposition in Bahrain through the official media and social media.

“195 media materials and messages which help to incite hatred were monitored on social media accounts (Twitter and Instagram), including accounts of official figures, writers and journalists,” the BFHR explained, pointing out that “former MP Mohammed Khalid’s account topped those accounts by posting 35 provocative tweets, while other accounts, including accounts of Ibrahim al-Dosari, Mona Mutawa, and Said al-Hamad, kept publishing provocative materials in varying percentages.”

“While the Rabat Plan of Action adopted by the UN in October 2012 recommends states to “raise the capacity to train and sensitise the security forces, law-enforcement agents and those involved in the administration of justice regarding questions concerning the prohibition of incitement to hatred,” we still receive information about the prevalence of hate culture within security services through using torture methods that converge with the call for racial or religious hatred which constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence through materials or messages published in the official media or social media sites,” the BFHR said. “Therefore, it has become common to use sectarian insults or to deliberately insult the religious beliefs of prisoners of conscious and even deprive them of practicing religious freedoms in Bahraini prisons,” the BFHR added.

“The authorities in Bahrain and civil society organizations are legally bound by Article 20 (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – ratified by the Bahraini government by Law No. 56 of 2006 – which states that “Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law,” the BFHR concluded.