By tariq khonji
Published: 9th October 2006
POLITICAL and human rights activists have called for the lifting of a gag order, which bans Bahrain’s newspapers from publishing news, comments or information related to the Dr Salah Al Bandar affair.
They said the order, issued by the High Criminal Court last Wednesday, was stifling public debate and described it as worthless because people have already found other ways of spreading information about the case.
A petition is already being drawn up against the gagging, which has been described as a “dangerous precedent” that “stifles freedom of speech”.
By tariq khonji
Published: 9th October 2006
POLITICAL and human rights activists have called for the lifting of a gag order, which bans Bahrain’s newspapers from publishing news, comments or information related to the Dr Salah Al Bandar affair.
They said the order, issued by the High Criminal Court last Wednesday, was stifling public debate and described it as worthless because people have already found other ways of spreading information about the case.
A petition is already being drawn up against the gagging, which has been described as a “dangerous precedent” that “stifles freedom of speech”.
The court said the order was based on articles 40 and 71 of Law 47 for 2002, which relates to regulation of the Press.
It said the move followed the actions of some newspapers, which handled the case in a manner that harmed public interest, incited sedition among members of the community and influenced the court.
However, National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ed) secretary general Ibrahim Sharif said that judges should have enough experience and professionalism not to be influenced by the media.
“In the US they try to keep jurists away from public opinion, even though it is not always possible,” he said.
“But justices are a different matter. Their judgements shouldn’t be influenced by what is written in the newspapers.”
He said that a gag order was only an attempt to prevent the public from debating the issue.
“This is a very dangerous precedent,” he added.
“It means that if anyone wants to prevent the public from criticising them, they can just go to the court and get a gag order.
“It stifles freedom of speech.”
A meeting of Bahrain’s opposition groups and other societies has already taken place at Wa’ed’s headquarters, Umm Al Hassam, to decide what to do next.
Vice-president of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Rajab, attended the meeting and said a petition would be presented to His Majesty King Hamad calling for a lifting of the gag order.
“We already have over 100 signatures from political and religious leaders, both Sunni and Shi’ite,” he said.
“In addition, we plan to get the message out by printing as many copies of the Al Bandar report as possible and distributing it.
“So far, we have distributed 5,000 copies and we plan to print and distribute 15,000 more by the end of Ramadan.”
Mr Rajab also said the societies planned to urge international organisations to become involved in the issue.
Meanwhile, Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) assistant secretary general Dr Abdulla Aldeerazi said that the gag order was not practical in this day and age.
“Information can be distributed all over the world via satellite television and the Internet within seconds,” he said.
“We believe that the ban has to be lifted because this is an issue which affects the public good.
“The benefit to the public outweighs the benefits to the people involved in this case.”
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