MANAMA  The Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) yesterday strongly criticised the ‘onslaught on freedom of expression’ following the government’s directive to block a few more web sites  bringing the total to 17, not counting the offensive pornographic sites which are routinely blocked in the Middle East.
The BCHR said categorically in a Press release yesterday that it “condemns continued attacks on Internet communication, as this move comes only days after the BCHR’s own web site was blocked.”
The BCHR said the government ordered Internet Service Providers in Bahrain, on Sunday, to block seven more web sites, including one of Bahrain’s ‘most prominent weblogs’ run by Mahmood Al Yousif called ‘Mahmood’s Den’.
Al Yousif, a 44-year-old Bahraini, told Khaleej Times, “It is unfortunate that some officials, have considered some of the contents of my web site to be seditious. I would like to reiterate firstly that I am patriotic and then a Muslim. And there is no way that I will transgress both or either.”
He added, “I am, for want of a better phrase, a modern liberal and strongly support the democratic concept and the value of an individual’s freedom of expression. I have run my weblog since 2001. It gets about four million hits a month.”
Al Yousif, said “My weblog merely reflects the opinions and frustrations of an ordinary man. What it offers is a personal online diary  nothing more nothing less.”
Asked about what he intends to do now since his web site has been censored, he said, “I am talking with various officials. But what really surprises me is that the action clearly demonstrates their complete ignorance of this modern technology. My web site was blocked this morning (Monday) at 8.50am. Within five minutes, I had shifted my site to another domain on the Internet where it could easily be accessed by anyone. Mine is one of the pioneering blogs in the Middle East, and over the years, the number of people who access it rather regularly has grown quite phenomenally.”
Meanwhile, the BCHR said it is especially concerned about the timing of the government’s recent attempts to restrict freedom of speech in Bahrain  which is slated to have its parliamentary and municipal polls on November 25. Demanding that the government ‘unblocks’ all of the currently blocked web sites, it said, “it is essential that the elections take place in an environment of transparency and free expression  for them to be considered free and fair.”
However, it acknowledged, “Al Yousif has openly criticised certain members of government and parliament in the past on his blog, and in recent days has highlighted the Bandargate scandal, which the government has sought to ban discussion of by issuing a Press gag.”
Anand Sagar (Bahrain Bureau Chief) :: Khaleej Times :: 31 Oct, ’06