Bahrain's Al-Wasat independent newspaper suspended

Rasa - Bahrain's government has suspended the publication of Bahrain's independent newspaper Al-Wasat.

News ID: 3090

Date: 08 August 2015 - 15:40

RNA - The official Bahrain News Agency said in a brief statement issued Thursday night that the suspension is "due to its violation of the law and repeated dissemination of information that affects national unity and the Kingdom's relationship with other countries."

Brian Dooley of the Washington-based group Human Rights First called the paper's suspended publication, "another seriously alarming, if predictable, move from the Bahraini government in silencing all opposition voices and crushing dissent."

Al-Wasat is a widely respected newspaper in the Mideast region edited by Mansoor Al-Jamri, 53, who received a CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2011.

The paper was forced to shut down temporarily in 2011, in the aftermath of widespread unrest and pro-democracy protests. In April 2011, the paper's co-founder, Karim Fakhrawy, was tortured to death in custody.

Decision to Suspend Al-Wasat is an Illegitimate Administrative Step

Lawyer Abdullah Al-Shamlawi described the decision to suspend the Al-Wasat newspaper as an illegitimate administrative move. He explained on his Twitter account that "Article 28 of Decree-Law No. 47 of 2003 stipulates that it is not permitted to suspend a newspaper unless by a judicial verdict."

The Information Affairs Authority suddenly decided on Thursday (August 6, 2015) to suspend the Al-Wasat newspaper until further notice. The authority justified in a statement published by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) on Thursday that this is due to "its violation of the law and repeated dissemination of information that affects national unity and the Kingdom's relations with other countries."

The Information Affairs Authority neither specified the suspension duration nor whether the newspaper can refer to the judiciary. However, the Bahraini publication law issued in 2012, which faced harsh criticism when passed, grants the authorities the capacity to suspend a newspaper for a year.

It is noteworthy that the Information Affairs Authority sent a warning to the Al-Wasat newspaper on August 4, 2015 because of an article by one of the newspaper's writers and director of Manama Voice, Hani Al-Fardan, in which he criticized describing Shiites as traitors and the participation of Bahraini Members of Parliament in the meetings of "People's Mojahedin of Iran" also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).

The warning of the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority read: "We inform you that the column contained false information that is considered a violation to the Decree-Law No. 47 of 2002 on the Organisation of the Press, Printing and Publishing, thus the Bahrain Information Affairs Authority sends this warning to your newspaper pursuant to Article 84 of the decree, stressing on the necessity to publish it in the first publication after receiving this warning, as stipulated in the aforementioned article."

For its part, the Bahraini cabinet announced on August 3, 2015 that it will take measures against the newspaper. The Bahraini Information Minister Issa bin Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi said in a press conference that "the ministry will take legal measures against local media outlets for publishing false information about Bahraini affairs according to directions issued on Monday (August 3, 2015) by the cabinet."

Al-Hammadi further stated that "the ministry will address international media parties that published inaccurate information about Bahrain, without avoiding the legal options in case they don't cooperate," adding "what was discussed within the cabinet meeting was related to local and international media outlets."

"As for the local media institutions, we are implementing the 2002 Press Law, but we are also cooperating with other parties, in case the situation required implementing other laws and measures in this regard," Al-Hammadi stated.

However, even when publishing this written warning, the publication law grants the authorities the right to continue issuing penalties against the newspaper. Article 84 of press law stipulates that "The ministry has the authority to warn the newspaper in case it publishes material that violates the provisions of this law or the provisions of the penal law. The editor-in-chief or the editor in charge shall publish the warning in the issue which follows the issuance of the warning.  Sanctions stipulated in this law shall still be imposed because of the material because of which the warning was issued."

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