27 November 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern at the continuous policy in the fight against freedom of opinion and expression by blocking websites and other forms of new media including specific pages on social networking websites such as Facebook where the Information Affairs Authority has blocked the page of the prominent political opposition leader AbdulWahab Hussain.
27 November 2010
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights expresses its concern at the continuous policy in the fight against freedom of opinion and expression by blocking websites and other forms of new media including specific pages on social networking websites such as Facebook where the Information Affairs Authority has blocked the page of the prominent political opposition leader AbdulWahab Hussain.
Since the 9th of October 2010, members of Facebook trying to access the page[1] of AbdulWahab Hussain were greeted with the now very common ‘This Website is Blocked’ page. On his page, AbdulWahab Hussain has regular updates of his activities, the most notable of which was the sit-in demonstration in solidarity with those detained in August 2010, whilst also regularly expressing his political views and opinions on current affairs in Bahrain. This move followed the decision made by the Information Affairs Authority last September to block the website ‘www.alostad.net’ in a campaign which affected several websites[2] in a sweeping crackdown against freedom of opinion and expression.
It is worth noting that many Bahraini bloggers now feel obliged to use pseudonyms on local discussion forums, and due to their websites being blocked have transferred their activities to social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter in order to continue the electronic activism under a situation of extreme repression on all the means of opinion expression. Several pages within Facebook have been created for this purpose; Political Prisoners which updates its members on latest news regarding detainees in Bahrain, Freedom For Moh’d Saeed Al-Sahlawi a page dedicated to providing the latest news regarding the Bahrain Center for Human Rights member Dr Mohamed Saeed Al-Sahlawi, Stop Shooting Protesters in Bahrain a page dedicated to protest against the use of shotguns against Bahraini citizens, whilst coherently the page for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights has encountered a record number of visitors during this time.
This is not the first time in which the Information Affairs Authority has blocked pages on social networks. Previously, a page of a human rights activist on Twitter who updated her followers via links and articles from human rights organizations (including BCHR) had been blocked[3]. Her Youtube page was also blocked[4].
Amira Al Hussaini, a Bahraini Blogger and editor of Middle Eastern and North African affairs on the Global Voices website expressed her concerns regarding the blocking of websites and the crackdown against Bahraini bloggers by stating, ‘Being outspoken has a price tag, not everybody is willing to do it’, she then went on to add, ‘People have given up, there is a sense of failure, it’s a depressed mood amongst bloggers.’. [5]
In a period in which the authorities claim they only censor pornographic websites and those which incite violence and provoke sectarian tension, this is far from the case, rather censorship is primarily aimed to suppress so called ‘dissenting’ voices and opinions or those that fight for human rights against the oppression endured by the people of Bahrain.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is gravely concerned by the way the government of Bahrain is dealing with the online community of activists and bloggers which is one of the most active communities in the region, and rather than encouraging these cadres and the energies, the authorities are working to suppress them and to block their sites or even to arrest them.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights believes that, in light of the accelerated evolution of technology, it has become difficult for governments to block all Websites completely, but by insisting on the policy of blocking, it strengthens its position in the black lists of authoritarian and undemocratic countries. In fact, Reporters Without Borders has already included Bahrain in the category ( under surveillance) in its report “enemies of the Internet”.
The Bahrain Center for Human Rights demands the Bahraini government to:
– Lift the ban on all public sites which encourage cultural dialogue, social and human rights, as well as social and religious expression.
– Cancel all actions restricting freedom of opinion and expression, or preventing the transmission of information.
– Fulfill its international commitments and respect all forms of freedom of expression which are a part of international covenants and treaties.
– Amend the Press Law No. 47 of 2002 to ensure it is in line with international standards of human rights.
—
[1]facebook.com
[2]New Web crackdown Blocks dozens of websites and electronic forums in Bahrain
[3]bahrainrights.hopto.org
[4]Minister blocks YouTube channel
[5]Lively Bahrain social media face government pressure
