AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A Bahraini journalist who works at one of the pro-government daily newspapers in the Persian Gulf kingdom was detained on Monday pending a further investigation.
Ibrahim Al Shaikh, a writer with Akhbar Al khaleej, is reportedly being accused of ‘spreading false news and rumors in time of war’.
According to the public prosecutor’s office in Manama, Al Shaikh’s actions could have ‘damaged [Bahrain’s] national security and public order’.
The serious charges stem from an article that Al Shaikh authored criticizing the media’s ‘misinformation campaign’ surrounding the war in Yemen.
The war has killed tens of thousands in a country where a Saudi-led coalition, which groups a number of states including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, has targeted everything from schools to hospitals to weddings as well as water and electricity plants.
Al Shaikh was previously known for his support of the bloody campaign and often favorable coverage for Manama and its coalition partners.
However, his latest piece alleges that journalists and analysts have been peddling lies about advances by coalition forces in the war-torn country.
Al Shaikh is not the first person to be jailed for criticizing Manama’s participation in the Yemen campaign.
In December of last year, Manama’s top court upheld a five-year prison term against Bahraini human rights defender Nabeel Rajab over mere tweets criticizing the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
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source : LuaLua TV
Tuesday
16 April 2019
12:17:16 PM
937143
A Bahraini journalist who works at one of the pro-government daily newspapers in the Gulf kingdom was detained on Monday pending a further investigation.