The Arabic Network Asserts: Monitoring Media During Elections is A Necessity Not exclusive for Journalists Association
Cairo October 13th ,2010
The Arabic Network for Human Rights denounced the Bahraini authorities continuous restrictions on civil society and human rights organizations operating in Bahrain prior to public elections running this month as all candidates have started their propaganda campaign. The government not only arrested human rights defenders ,dissolved the Bahraini Association for human rights the only independent human rights organization authorized to monitor elections and refused the international monitoring , but is putting pressures to impede The Arabic Group to Monitor Media from monitoring media performance in covering elections.
The Arabic Network Asserts: Monitoring Media During Elections is A Necessity Not exclusive for Journalists Association
Cairo October 13th ,2010
The Arabic Network for Human Rights denounced the Bahraini authorities continuous restrictions on civil society and human rights organizations operating in Bahrain prior to public elections running this month as all candidates have started their propaganda campaign. The government not only arrested human rights defenders ,dissolved the Bahraini Association for human rights the only independent human rights organization authorized to monitor elections and refused the international monitoring , but is putting pressures to impede The Arabic Group to Monitor Media from monitoring media performance in covering elections.
The Bahraini government pressured the hosting organizations so as not to receive the Arabic Group trainees , thus hindering the whole media monitoring project. At the same time , independent press and media launched a crackdown against the Arabic Group to mar its image in Bahrain alleging that the Group is a secret cell working for foreign institutes , joining the stream of aggression against civil society and human rights activists.
On the other hand, The Arabic Network denounced the statement issued by the Bahraini Journalists Association resenting the work of The Arabic Group alleging that monitoring Bahraini press performance during elections is a direct accusation of prejudice and bias. The statement stated that monitoring media in Bahrain is a local issue. The Arabic Network considers this rhetoric quite misleading as monitoring elections is an indispensible necessity especially that the Bahraini government controls all media and has the widest space for propaganda. However , The Bahraini Journalists Association kept silent regarding that fact.
The Arabic Network said, ” The Bahraini Journalists Association has every right to defend media in Bahrain and the civil society has a role to play in monitoring elections and media performance. Claiming that monitoring is a direct accusation to the Bahraini press is unacceptable, we cannot deal with media and official authorities as though they were perfect. It is necessary to monitor the performance of all bodies and then assess their stands”.
The Arabic Network added, ” There is no excuse to oppress activists and human rights organizations unless that the Bahraini government intends to violate human rights , run flawed elections and freeze all positive steps towards democracy and providing public freedoms which are totally absent in Bahrain these days”.
anhri.net