Oct 2011
Bahrein’s authorities, with help from their Saudi neighbours have systematically hunted down, imprisoned and reportedly tortured bloggers and freedom of expression activists who participated in pro-reform demonstrations earlier in the year.
Bahrain
Journalists killed: 1
In Bahrain, critical journalists have been intimidated, interrogated, smeared in governmentowned and -aligned publications, and harassed and sued by government supporters
Oct 2011
Bahrein’s authorities, with help from their Saudi neighbours have systematically hunted down, imprisoned and reportedly tortured bloggers and freedom of expression activists who participated in pro-reform demonstrations earlier in the year.
Bahrain
Journalists killed: 1
In Bahrain, critical journalists have been intimidated, interrogated, smeared in governmentowned and -aligned publications, and harassed and sued by government supporters since the beginning of pro-reform demonstrations in February. On 12 April Karim Fakhrawi, founder and board member at Al-Wasat, the country’s premier independent daily, died in state custody a week after he was detained. In early April, the government had accused Al-Wasat of “deliberate news fabrication and falsification,” said it would file criminal charges against three of the paper’s senior editors, and deported two other senior staffers. In late May, Nazeeha Saeed, a correspondent for France 24 and Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya, was tortured by police for covering pro-democracy demonstrations. Saeed was accused of lying and of “harming Bahrain’s image.” She is suffering physical and psychological after-effects and is receiving care in France. 21 bloggers, human rights activists, and members of the political opposition were found guilty of plotting to topple the monarchy in an extraordinary tribunal held in June. Many received life sentences in what observers are dismissing as highly politicised trials.
wan-ifra.org
