Bahrain
Web sites critical of government blockedPosted Apr 21 2009
The Bahrain government is carrying out a massive campaign to block all Web sites and blogs that are critical of or opposing the working of the government, the Committee to Protect Journalists reports. The committee has written to the king of Bahrain to protest the recent deterioration of press freedom in the country and his government's ongoing campaign against Web sites and blogs. According to CPJ, the crackdown against Web sites has resulted in dozens being blocked inside the kingdom.
The Web sites being blocked mainly discuss social, political and human rights issues in Bahrain. In January, local media outlets published Ministerial Order 1/2009, issued by Culture and Information Minister Sheikha Mai bint Muhammad Al Khalifa, ordering telecommunications companies to block specific Web sites without warning or providing specific reasons when ordered to by the ministry. Dozens of blogs, discussion forums and sites of local and regional human rights groups have been blocked since, CPJ reports.
Authorities have defended their campaign as one against pornographic and socially inappropriate websites, but CPJ reveals a different story. The committee found that the number of blocked sites has risen exponentially in Bahrain recently.
More information
- Committee to Protect Journalists