Bahrain: Threatening Online activism and blocking more sites

Ali Abdulemam — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:16:32 +0000

Minister of media and culture Mai Alkhalifa in her first interview with BNA (Bahrain News Agency) which is managed by her, again she threatening the online activism and said the blocking is the first step and we might take more steps to apply the roles “
خطوة الحجب جاءت كإجراء، وتدبير واحد من التدابير، ضمن مبادرات
ومشاريع لمعالجة هذا التدني واللامسؤولية في تجريح الآخرين، ونأمل
من منظمات المجتمع المدني أن تساعدنا في بقية التدابير والبدائل للحد
من هذه الظواهر أو تخفيفها، ونحن في حوار دائم حول هذه التجاوزات،
ونرصد أي مواقف ايجابية ونتفاعل معها. لدينا مراجعة منتظمة حتى
للمواقع المحجوبة من أجل فتحها حال التوافق على موقف مشترك من
التحريض. وقد فتحنا بالفعل عددا من المواقع، والرغبة مستمرة لتوسيع
الدائرة. ولا مانع من أن أفاتح الجميع أننا نفكر في اشراك ناشطين
سياسيين من مختلف الأطراف في مبادرات من أجل مناهضة التحريض
على النت، ومن أجل الكشف عن المخالفات للدستور والقيم المتعاقد عليها
بين المواطنين، ونفكر في إشراك أساتذة جامعات وإعلاميين
واختصاصيين كذلك – و أبوابنا مفتوحة.”

And following to this more sites been blocked yesterday like http://www.aafaq.org which is post a letter sent to the king of Bahrain by one of women activism who asked for real reform in the country and in women rights, also her blog blocked for the same reason

Also the most poplar blog aggregator site blocked www.bahrainblogs.org , this site is only pulling the registered blogs to make it easy for reading blogs about or from Bahrain

BCHR ( Bahrain Centre for Human Right) issued a statement about blocking the sites and said ” its an open war againest opposition websites)

This come after the minister of Media and Culture issued a memo that she is responsible for issuing a decesion of blocking the websites and open them, and also after the TRA ( telecommunication Regulation Authorities ) memo to open port for national security forces to spy on internet surfing and to keep a log file for around 3 years

Bloggers called for “code of Ethics” in Bahrain

Ali Abdulemam — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:43:15 +0000

Bloggers from Bahrain called for “code of Ethic” to avoid ” hate speech” in Bahrain, Bloggers said ” sectarian and discrimination became very hot topic in the blogs and we are afraid to become another Iraq or Lebanon so we toke the challenge to put something for limiting this hate speech”.

The story is started when some of the bloggers and online activism were in forum in Al Waqt news paper (one of the local media in Bahrain) about the online sites and sectarian so they were discussing about finding a way to limit this “hate speech” and they agreed to write this “code of ethic” and then they decide to write and explanation for it to make it cearly understandable.

The code of ethics include 7 articles most of them speaking generally about the Hatred , nationalism and sectarianism they depends on defining the terms of free expression and hate speech from the UN charter, international covenant on civil and political rights , article 19 and constitution of the kingdom of Bahrain.

They define the “Hatred” as “What concerns us is the speech of hatred which incites violence or action against an individual or group of individuals in any form (action, verbal, written… etc.) on the basis of race, sex, sect, religion, or ideology and thought.”

Those who sign this code will have to obey it and make sure that no contents in their blogs or site will be published against this code , and any who will have post or been posted in his blogs or sites against this code they will give him first warning and them they will announce his site as a site ” announcing sectarian “.

The moderator of this community said that we didn't want any governmental person sharing with us writing the code, we want it to be written by the bloggers and sites runner them self so we refuse any interact from this part.

The “code of ethics” been announce in 14 August as it’s the independence day for Bahrain, and this is was a political sign, as Bahrain government doesn't participate in the independent day which is the day British army went out of Bahrain, and the stat got its freedom, instead of that the government is announcing the 16 and 17 December as national day which the day of when the King announce as the king of Bahrain, and they will sign this code in 31 August the bloggers day around the world.

There was a lot of debate between the sites runners and the bloggers about this code of Ethic, they were saying ” why we should put limits while we don’t’ have any right now” and “the code was written in a general words which can be explained or understand in different way and it will be like trap for the online activism”.

Online media is getting a huge space in Bahrain the small stat in Persian Gulf and most of the oppositions are depending on it to announce their ideas and activities, but most of the opposite parties and civil societies support this code of Ethic.

Visit the Code of Ethics website.

Global Voices Advocacy » Ali Abdulemam

Bahrain: Threatening Online activism and blocking more sites

Bloggers called for “code of Ethics” in Bahrain