Suspension of Al-Wasat is alarming move to silence all opposition voices; EU calls on Bahrain to review its decision

Ahlul Bayt News Agency - Human Rights First said that "the immediate suspension of Al-Wasat newspaper in Bahrain is another seriously alarming move from the Bahraini government in silencing all opposition voices and crushing dissent."

The organization further stated that "Al-Wasat newspaper is a widely respected and leading newspaper in the region, edited by experienced journalist Mansoor Al-Jamri and known for its balanced journalism for over a decade. In 2011, in the aftermath of widespread unrest and pro-democracy protests, the paper was forced to shut down temporarily, while its co-founder and board member, Karim Fakhrawy, was tortured to death in custody, a week after he was arrested."

HRF added in its statement issued on Thursday (August 6, 2015) "Since the State Department announced at the end of June 2015 the lifting of its ban on arms sales to Bahrain's military, citing "meaningful progress on human rights," there have been a series of attacks on free speech by the government."

The director of Human Rights First Brian Dooley concluded the statement by saying that "Closing the Al-Wasat is a seriously dangerous move by the regime and the Obama Administration should urgently rethink its lifting of the ban on weapons sales to this repressive regime."


EU Calls on Bahrain to Review its Decision to Suspend Al-Wasat Newspaper

The European Union called on Bahrain to review its decision to suspend the independent Al-Wasat newspaper on Friday (August 7, 2015), stressing that the existence of independent media outlets can reinforce the reconciliation efforts in the island kingdom.

In its statement, the EU said "it believes that the existence of independent media outlets reinforces freedom of speech by providing a platform for the expression of different opinions and grievances of various segments of Bahraini society."

"It also has the potential to serve as an effective tool in supporting efforts aimed at nurturing a pluralistic environment to foster national unity and reconciliation in Bahrain," the statement further read.

The EU hopes that the administrative decision of the Information Affairs Authority of Bahrain can be swiftly reviewed in a way that would enable Al-Wasat to resume publication as soon as possible.





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