A news report on the event titled “Bahrain, an Environment that Represses Press Freedom”

The Bahrain Forum for Human Rights (BFHR), in cooperation with the Journalist Support Committee and the Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, held a media symposium titled “Bahrain, an Environment that Represses Press Freedom” on the occasion of Bahraini Press Day and World Press Freedom Day, on May 11, 2023.

A number of human rights and media figures attended the event. Mohammed Safa, head of the Khiam Center Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, Abdul-Hafez Mojab, a member of the Executive Committee of the Journalist Support Committee, and Ghina Rebai, a researcher at the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights spoke at the event.

Rebai: Based on legalizing the suppression of freedoms, journalists, bloggers, and publishers have been prosecuted until the number of those arbitrarily detained of them has reached nearly 2,000 since 2011, on charges of inciting hatred against the regime or threatening civil peace.

In her speech that started the event, Ghina Rebai said, "Bahrain is still deteriorating in terms of ensuring freedoms, especially freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of association." She stressed that "the most dangerous thing about suppressing freedoms in Bahrain is that citizens cannot complain using the law in order to obtain their right to freedom of the press and freedom of expression." She further said that the law itself is exploited to suppress freedoms. In addition, Rebai referred to the role of the Bahraini judiciary in using the law to suppress freedoms through "discretion in interpreting the provisions of the law based on the interest of the ruling authorities." She added that the aforementioned led to the arbitrary arrest of thousands of citizens, and the extrajudicial killing and the revocation of the citizenships of some of them, simply for exercising the right to freedom of expression by publishing their opinions or documenting the security violations committed by the authorities. She also referred to the relatively new laws through which citizens are harassed and prevented from criticizing state policies.

Rebai described the behavior of the authorities with regard to suppressing freedom of the press and freedom of expression by saying, "This is how the King of Bahrain deals with those who express their opinions freely. He deals with them as if they are non-Bahrainis and unworthy of the Bahraini nationality. This is what the Bahraini authorities also did in 2017 when they hammered the final nail in the coffin of freedom of the press by closing the Al-Wasat newspaper, which was the only independent newspaper operating in Bahrain. In addition, freedom of association was affected in the past years through the dissolution of opposition political societies, especially the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Wa'ad, and Amal, and the arrest of their leaders and a number of opposition figures.

Mojab: Amend legislations with the aim of lifting restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly, and reform laws regulating publishing

As for Abdul-Hafez Mojab, a member of the Executive Committee of the Journalist Support Committee, he said in his speech that "Bahrain today is at the lowest position in international indicators related to freedom of opinion and expression and political freedoms, and it ranked last among the Arab Gulf states." In addition, Mojab called on the Bahraini authorities to "hold accountable those responsible for the arrest and killing of journalists, and stop unfair sentences against them."

On behalf of the Journalist Support Committee, Mojab called on the international community, human rights associations, international organizations and all human rights and humanitarian institutions to pressure the Bahraini authorities to release the detained journalists, and open an investigation about the journalists who are still forcibly disappeared.

He also stressed that it is important that the Bahraini authorities make amendments to the Press and Electronic Media Law and the legislation in accordance with international standards and conventions that Bahrain has ratified and acceded to, and to take the necessary measures to implement the commitments contained in the National Human Rights Action Plan 2022-2026.

Safa: All media professionals, photographers, and those arrested for exercising the right to freedom of expression must be immediately and unconditionally released, and arbitrary arrests and unfair trials must be stopped

In the final speech, Mohammed Safa, head of the Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, considered that one of the most prominent manifestations of the Bahraini authorities' monopoly over television, radio and print media is the absence of professional coverage that back up the victims in Palestine.

He called for the immediate and unconditional release of all journalists, photographers, and those who were arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to stop arbitrary arrests and unfair trials over charges related to freedom of expression.

Safa also demanded that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the rest of the United Nations Rapporteurs be allowed to visit Bahrain. In addition, he pointed out to the need for compensation for the families of journalists who were victims of extrajudicial killings, whether through torture or other, or those who were killed due to exercising freedom of expression.