Bahrain Press one of freest
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 8th April 2007
THERE were 154 violations of Press freedom in Bahrain last year, according to an independent study.
However, the Freedom of the Media in the Arab Countries 2006 report concluded that Bahrain remains one of the least restricted in the region for media professionals.
State control of the media in Bahrain was categorised at 1.39 per cent, compared to 11.11pc in Saudi Arabia and 15.28pc in Libya, while only Iraq and Jordan reported no interference of any kind.
Bahrain was also among the countries reporting the least restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion, as well as the lowest harassment of foreign media workers.
Bahrain Press one of freest
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 8th April 2007
THERE were 154 violations of Press freedom in Bahrain last year, according to an independent study.
However, the Freedom of the Media in the Arab Countries 2006 report concluded that Bahrain remains one of the least restricted in the region for media professionals.
State control of the media in Bahrain was categorised at 1.39 per cent, compared to 11.11pc in Saudi Arabia and 15.28pc in Libya, while only Iraq and Jordan reported no interference of any kind.
Bahrain was also among the countries reporting the least restrictions on freedom of expression and opinion, as well as the lowest harassment of foreign media workers.
It was positioned in the middle of a 20-country table with a freedom rating of 69.14pc.
Kuwait was top of the list with a Press freedom percentage of 88.38, notching up 58 violations, while Yemen was bottom with a rating of 34.87pc thanks to 325 violations.
The Jordan-based Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies carried out the research.
It is an independent organisation committed to raising awareness about human rights and democracy in the region.
The report was compiled using information supplied by correspondents and several Press freedom websites, including Reporters without Borders and the Arab Organisation for the Freedom of the Committee for the Defence of Journalists.
The 25-page study found that no journalist in Bahrain had been questioned by security services and the country was one of the least difficult in the region in which to obtain information.
The report showed newspaper censorship was also among the lowest in the region, along with the seizure of machines and documents from newspaper offices.
It classified Iraq as the most dangerous Arab country for journalists to work in and says Egypt, Yemen and Algeria are known for physical assaults, arrest and trial of journalists.
Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Mauritania were considered the best countries for respecting Press freedom in the Arab world, while Yemen, Tunisia, Sudan and Saudi Arabia were the worst.
“The report shows that Arab journalists are suffering from various kinds of harassments in a manner that is obstructing their right to perform their work in seeking, receiving and disseminating information,” concludes the study.
“It also became evident that the most prominent problem which journalists are suffering from in Arab countries is the difficulty of obtaining information.
“Most Arab countries are party to international conventions on human rights, particularly the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“However, these countries do not fulfil their commitments in this regard or respect their accession to these international agreements.
“Thus, their endorsement of these conventions becomes only ink on paper.”
Laws
The report said laws prohibiting slander are often used in most Arab countries to suppress the Press and make organisations refrain from criticising the actions of governments or officials.
“It is also evident that some Arab governments and their services use advertisements as a carrot in rewarding newspapers that are close to the government line, while denying newspapers that criticise the government performance of such a reward,” added the report.
The study called for laws to guarantee access to information, the revoking of articles obstructing freedom of expression and withdrawing the penalty of imprisonment on issues relating to freedom of expression.
© Gulf Daily News
