The government of Bahrain continued its harsh crackdown on citizens’ rights to free speech and freedom of assembly by fining the editor of Bahrain’s main opposition newspaper and three staff members for supposedly publishing “false reports.”
The Al Wasat newspaper journalists were found guilty of disseminating misleading news and were fined about $2,650 each. The newspaper allegedly misreported Bahrain security forces’ crackdown on protesters as harsher than they actually were.
Editor-in-chief Mansoor al-Jamri admitted to Bahraini authorities that he mistakenly published false information, blaming plotters in Saudi Arabia who he claimed had deliberately fed his newspaper inaccurate stories. This admission should be viewed with some suspicion, however, as previous reports of detainee torture, abuse, and forced confessions have recently come out of Bahrain.
The government also claimed Tuesday that it was investigating the death of a protester, identified as Ahmed Jaber. Opposition and human rights groups say he suffered fatal injuries after he was shot in the chest with a pellet gun by security forces while participating in an anti-government demonstration.
This is the latest reported death since late August when a 14 year old boy was killed when Bahraini security forces shot him in the head with a tear gas canister. Over 30 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded since late February, when security forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators and began to enforce martial law.
Bahrain recently agreed to a retrial for the medical professionals were had been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for treating as patients protesters who had been injured by security forces.
Despite the ongoing crackdown, the Obama administration has repeatedly reaffirmed US support for the regime.
As I am a Journalist I was very much interested in the case and I was following events from the very beginning.I feel shame for the "editor in chief", he deliberately plagerized matrial from other old newspapers and presenting it if it took place in Bahrain.I depised my profession.
In fact due to the weight of the case, the government has given them a fair trial, given the fact that the behaviour of the "editor" can increase sectarian tension, which is already felt by many people here.
Mansoor al-Jamri should consider himself lucky that the Bahraini authorities have such dull imaginations.
In the 'free West', he and his journalist colleagues could have looked forward to having
their Amazon, Pay Pal, Mastercard, and Visa accounts frozen, and then perhaps to be accused of sexual impropriety or worse; 'high tech terrorism', with a Grand Jury convened to further the inquisition.
False reporting, eh? I guess our MSM would owe billions if that litmus test were used. No, they simply were not dutiful enough court stenographers.
USA papers would all be broke.