24 October 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern at the continued restrictions imposed on the freedom of press and publishing, with the local authorities prohibiting the distribution of a book entitled ‘Unbridled Hatreds: Read in the fate of ancient hatreds’ written by the famous Bahraini author Dr Nader Kadim. The planned discussion seminar which was supposed to take place at the same time as the book launch was also blocked.
24 October 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern at the continued restrictions imposed on the freedom of press and publishing, with the local authorities prohibiting the distribution of a book entitled ‘Unbridled Hatreds: Read in the fate of ancient hatreds’ written by the famous Bahraini author Dr Nader Kadim. The planned discussion seminar which was supposed to take place at the same time as the book launch was also blocked.
The Press and Publication office informed the entity that is holding the book fair of the ban on the entry and distribution of the book in Bahrain without specifying the reason behind the decision. On the 26th of September 2010, a few hours before the start of the books discussion seminar which was supposed to accompany the book launch, the event organizers announced that the seminar was canceled on the grounds that it will publicly discuss ideas of the banned book. Copies of the book are held at the Department of Press and Publication, after arriving a few days prior to the conference, whilst the administration have not made any written comments regarding the ban[1].
Dr. Nader Kadim in his book “Biography of Unbridled hatreds in history”, reviews that instinctive desire, rooted in the human person and its uses in different contexts throughout history, and he ponders on what is going on today for this type of stubborn impulses instinctive and its fate in light of important changes began with the emergence of the state and its laws that criminalize hate speech, insult and slander, defamation, libel and insult, and the rise of the public sphere in the modern era, and flexibility of transportation, but instead of communication and openness, these hatreds demonstrated ability to circumvent all of these radical transformations, and even adapted to take advantage of it”.[2]
Dr Nader Kadim had previously published sections of his book in the form of articles on a local newspaper with no objections from the Department of Publications. However, this was not the first time the Department of Publications has banned the work of the author. In 2008, his book ‘Using Memory…In a Society Plagued by its History’, as it was considered dangerous to the so called principles of modern day society[3] .
In June 2010, the Department of Publications also banned the publication and circulation of the Arabic translation of ‘The Personal Diary of Charles Belgrave’[4] , the British advisor to the ruling family from 1927 to 1957. This publication is considered by many as being critical, as it contains important and objective facts reflecting an import period within Bahrain’s history that is published for the first time. In addition, 25 publishing houses were banned from exhibiting their books in the annual book fair, which was held in Manama on March 17th 2010.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its deep concerns with the recent developments preventing the freedom of publication and press. The prevention of such books being freely distributed and promoted is a clear violation of international human rights, and in particular Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which clearly states that individuals have the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Individuals should have the right to express their views and opinions freely with no interference, whilst being allowed to express their views freely to others by whichever communication channel they choose.
Based on the previously discussed, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights demands the Bahraini authorities to:
– Immediately lift the ban on the book ‘Unbridled Hatreds’, in the absence of no justifiable reason for the ban.
– To lift the ban on all other books and publications, and to allow their free distribution.
– To stop the harassment and pressure being imposed on local publishing houses and libraries from importing books and publications which do not correspond with the views of the authorities.
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[1]http://www.arabiyat.com/content/coverage/1224.html
[2]http://www.neelwafurat.com/itempage.aspx?id=lbb190793-159917&search=books
[3]http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/en/node/1600
[4] http://bahrainrights.hopto.org/ar/node/3104
