BCHR calls on media and civil society to continue highlighting state-sponsored Internet censorship
Ref: 12080600
12 August 2006
BCHR calls on media and civil society to continue highlighting state-sponsored Internet censorship
Ref: 12080600
12 August 2006
Following public pressure applied on the government by civil society, supported by newspapers, the Bahrain Center for Human is pleased to note that the previously blocked Google Earth (see Ref: 08080600) has become accessible again for Internet users in Bahrain. Cases such as this demonstrate that when civil society, media and international actors apply pressure together, they can be a very effective force for human rights causes, so we encourage them to continue playing this role.
However, the BCHR is still very concerned about continuing reports that the Google Video and Google Maps websites remain blocked by government-owned Batelco (Bahrain’s only residential Internet Service Provider), something that is not discussed in recent press coverage about Internet censorship in Bahrain. This is in addition to the numerous Bahraini websites that have been blocked by the government for several years due to their political content, such as Bahrainonline.org, a popular discussion forum (for a full list click here).
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights once again recalls Article 23 of the Constitution of Bahrain and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which guarantee the right to receive and impart electronic information without hindrance. The BCHR calls upon the relevant government authorities to unblock the aforementioned websites immediately, and urges civil society and the media to continue applying pressure and shedding light on the issue until this happens.
For background details, please see BCHR communique Ref: 08080600.