العربية
Top press freedom organizations and local Bahraini groups raised alarm, in a letter they addressed to ten countries including the UK, over the suspension of Bahrain’s only independent newspaper, Al Wasat, which has been barred from publishing for four days now.
The letter, signed by Reporters Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Article 19, Index on Censorship, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and ten others, state Bahrain is “effectively silencing the media in Bahrain and violating the right to freedom of expression.”
The letter is addressed to the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy and France – who all have embassies in Bahrain – as well as Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the European Union. It urges them to “publicly call on the Government of Bahrain to allow Al Wasat to resume publication immediately.”
The letter notes that Al Wasat’s suspension is the latest in a recent spate of reprisals against independent media and civil society actors, including journalists, writers, and human rights defenders. “In this context, journalists in Bahrain have expressed to NGOs serious concerns that the newspaper will not be allowed to resume publication”, the letter continues.
According to the letter, the suspension of Al Wasat muzzles the media, unduly restricting the right to freedom of expression and opinion. “As the only independent newspaper in Bahrain, its suspension removes a key voice for public discourse and denies the public the right to access information and diverse views,” the letter stated. “In the context of current, severe human rights violations occurring in Bahrain, calls for the resumption of the only independent newspaper and the respect for freedom of expression and opinion urgently need to be heard and acted on.”