Websites Blocked on Pretext of Sectarian Crisis
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
www.bahrainrights.org ( blocked in Bahrain )
June 27, 2008
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights followed with great concern the Bahraini government attitude to the exploitation of some sectarian tension – initiated by groups considered associates with the Royal Court and the government itself – aiming to narrow public freedoms. Nabeel Rajab, Vice President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, expressed
Websites Blocked on Pretext of Sectarian Crisis
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
www.bahrainrights.org ( blocked in Bahrain )
June 27, 2008
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights followed with great concern the Bahraini government attitude to the exploitation of some sectarian tension – initiated by groups considered associates with the Royal Court and the government itself – aiming to narrow public freedoms. Nabeel Rajab, Vice President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, expressed
his concern in regards to the drift of some political associations and members of the House of Representatives to hand over the reins of freedoms to the government by calling upon its intervention to stop mosque preachers and journalists and the closure of electronic forums on pretext of the existence of a sectarian crisis.
The cabinet exploited the fabricated crisis to issue a decision during its meeting last Sunday 22, June, to form a committee headed by the Ministry of Interior aiming to “monitor adherence and commitment not to allow any violations by platforms, newspapers or websites concerning the values and national constants, especially with regard to the King and the Crown Prince, national unity and Arab identity and sectarianism”
The Information Ministry has issued a decision concerning the closure of a set of electronic sites on the grounds that they “violated the laws applicable in publishing and the press in regard to sectarian issues that might harm social stability in Bahrain “. Local press mentioned that the closed sites are:
Awaal electronic newspaper http://www.awaal.net/
Bahrain bright sun http://www.ba7rainss.com/vb/
Bahrain Forums www.bahrainforums.com
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information Hamad Al Mana’ay confirmed that: “we in the Ministry of Information, to achieve the aspirations of the government, will seek coordination with the ministerial committee that was formed recently to stand in front of anything that might split the national front”. An official source said to the local press that “a daily follow to those sites will take place, and if it was proven that these sites had violated the decision through the use of any techniques to break the blocking and continued the publication, the decision will be applied and the sites will be closed again.”
It came to the knowledge of the BCHR that other sites have been closed as well, including three sites linked to the the Islamic Action Society of Shiite opposition, the site of the Society itself, a networks http://www.alresalia.com/ and forums of that network http://forum.alresalia.com/ . These sites are added to more than twenty other electronic sites that are still closed including the website of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, which is blocked inside Bahrain because of the publication and translation of the report issued by the former counselor of the Government which revealed an official secret plan for undermining the opposition and marginalizing the Shiite sect.
The current wave of so-called sectarian crisis has escalated by attacks carried out by Islamic Selfist MP Jassem Al-Saeedi against the Shiite cleric Sheikh Issa Qassem. The attacks was in direct reaction to Sheikh Qassem’s sermon on Friday, June 13, that touched on current issue of prisoners in recent events, whom he said had been tortured in order to extract confessions, based on the findings of lawyers and medical commission set up by the court. He called for their release and refraining from unfair trial and sentences which could add to the current political and security tension. Sheikh Qassem also criticized the Interior Ministry’s use of excessive force which led to the injury of a young man, Majeed Alqattan, when a rubber bullet was fired on his head and almost killed him. He also criticized the restriction on mass peaceful protests, and called for finding a consensus constitution to be the reference to differences of political and security situation.
The statements of MP Saeedi came as a part of a sustained campaighn for several years through his almost daily statements in addition to Friday sermons where he attack the beliefs of the Shiite sect and offending their Bahraini religious and political leaders especially opponents of the government. It is believed the authority had played a major role in the success of al-Saeedi in election as a member of the House of Representatives by the distribution of constituencies on the basis of sectarianism and tribalism, and that the Royal Civan has played a key role in supporting and financing his election campaign. Al-Saeedi does not belong to any political group and he is appointed by the Sunni government-led Awqaf as a Imam Issa Town Mosque.
The government had banned the circulation of the report published by the former adviser to the Cabinet Dr. Salah al-Bandar in 2006, which included the indictment against MP al-Saeedi as one of the actors in a secret network led by senior members of the ruling family who are in leadership positions in the Royal Court and that the government. The secret network is reportedly working to penetrate opposition and civil society institutions, to manipulate elections and to the political and economic marginalization of the Shiite sect.
Akhbar-Alkhaleej daily newspaper, which is close to the prime ministry, promotes the statements and speeches by al-Saeedi, as well as Al-Watan newspaper, which the former government adviser said in his report that it is one of the tools of the secret network and funded by the Royal Court. Despite that the controversy issues and remarks raised by al-Saeedi, were denounced in the media by deferent political and religious circles from various sectarian groups, the Prime Minister praise him publicly, and the crown prince paid him a special visit. The Minister of Justice said that there is no complaint against al-Saeedi issued by attendees of the mosque where he is the Imam. That gave indications that al-Saeedi has a direct support of three key figures in the ruling family.
Accordingly, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights demands:
1. Abolition of government regulations and practices that restrict freedom of the press electronic journalism and preaching in mosques in the pretext of sectarian tension. Differences in the use of opinion mediums should be resolved by resorting to cods of ethics and laws that are convenient with international standards that prohibit discrimination and hate speeches, while ensuring the integrity and independence of the judiciary.
2. Strengthening the role of the press and religious sermons in the protection of freedoms and promotion of human rights on the basis of equality and dignity away from religious and sectarian intolerance.
3. To take advantage of the ability of some groups in peaceful mobilizing and rallying to pressure the government to respect the rights and freedoms and to put an end to daily violations
4. Pushing toward revealing the truth of the details and documents contained in the report published by the former government adviser, and to investigate this in relation to the ongoing policies of repression, penetration, discrimination and sectarian incitement.