Bahrain

2010

  

Iran, China drive prison tally to 14-year high

Relying heavily on vague antistate charges, authorities jail 145 journalists worldwide. Eritrea, Burma, and Uzbekistan are also among the worst jailers of the press. A CPJ special report

Read More ›

CPJ concerned about trial of Bahrain bloggers

Dear Sheikh Al-Khalifa: The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is deeply concerned about the ongoing detention and trial of prominent Bahraini bloggers Ali Abdel Imam and Abdeljalil Alsingace. We’re outraged by allegations of torture made by the two bloggers, along with those made by 23 activists and opposition figures.

Read More ›

Internet blotter

CPJ protested the arrest of Bahrain blogger Ali Abdel Imam back in September — The Wall Street Journal has a story on his continuing detainment. Activism around the imprisonment of Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan continues: PEN Canada is  focusing on his case and Canada and France’s foreign ministers have urged his release. Local Thai ISPs are…

Read More ›

Prominent online journalist arrested in Bahrain

New York, September 7, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Bahraini authorities to release Ali Abdel Imam, a leading online journalist who was arrested Saturday on charges of spreading “false information.” The arrest is the latest in the government’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.

Read More ›

Bahrain gags press as it cracks down on opposition

New York, August 31, 2010–Bahrainian prosecutors have banned journalists from reporting on the detentions of dozens of opposition activists, according to news accounts. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities to lift the censorship order immediately.

Read More ›

Bahrain detains blogger on ‘national security concerns’

New York, August 17, 2010–The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the detention of a blogger and human rights activist since Friday. The official Bahrain News Agency quoted a security source claiming that Abduljalil Alsingace was arrested based on national security concerns that could “damage the country’s stability.” The unnamed security official went on to say that Alsingace had “abused the freedom…

Read More ›

The UAE said on Sunday it will block key features on BlackBerrys, citing national security concerns. (AP/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Why governments don’t need RIM to crack the BlackBerry

The United Arab Emirates’ Telecommunications Regulation Authority (TRA) announced on Sunday that it would be suspending BlackBerry “messenger, e-mail and Web-browsing services” in the country from October 11, until these “applications were in full compliance with UAE regulations.” Given the popularity of the BlackBerry platform in the country (an estimated 500,000 users from a population of 4.5 million) one…

Read More ›

Bahraini reporter charged with violating gag order

New York, July 2, 2010— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Bahraini authorities to drop charges against Mohammed al-Sawad, a reporter for the independent daily Al-Bilad, who is accused of violating a government-imposed gag order.

Read More ›

Bahrain suspends Al-Jazeera operations indefinitely

New York, May 19, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the decision by the Bahraini government to indefinitely suspend Al-Jazeera from reporting from the Gulf kingdom

Read More ›

Reports of Egyptian police torture spark protests in Cairo. (Reuters/Mona Sharaf)

Human rights coverage spreads, despite government pushback

By Mohamed Abdel Dayem and Robert Mahoney The media in the Middle East loved the Intifada. Every detail of Israel’s violations of human rights in the late 1980s in the West Bank and Gaza appeared in the Arabic and Farsi press. The governments that owned or controlled these media outlets loved it, too. When pan-Arab…

Read More ›

2010