General

Put your cameras away.

By on Sunday, November 20, 2005

Remember how our frivolous honorable chairman of the Council or Representatives, the large Mr. Khalifa Al-Dhahrani, whose total understanding of Bluetooth technology prompted him to put in his Legislative Suggestion to effectively ban the thing completely? Well the government’s legal department whose task it is to research and actually write these laws did one better and wants to ban everyone from taking any photographs or videos of people without their express consent!

تصوير شخص من دون علمه مساس بحريته وخصوصيته:دائرة الشئون القانونية تبدي ملاحظاتها – على تغليظ العقوبات ضد إساءة استخدام الهواتف النقالة

أبدت دائرة الشئون القانونية ملاحظاتها حول الاقتراح بقانون بشأن تعديل المادة «37« من قانون العقوبات بهدف اضافة 3 فقرات إلى نص هذه المادة لتجريم سوء استخدام الهواتف النقالة المزودة بكاميرات أو تلك المزودة بالبلوتوث.. وقالت الدائرة في ردها:

1- نصت الفقرة الأولى المضافة على معاقبة من قام بتصوير شخص من دون علمه أو رضاه إذا كان من شأن هذا التصوير الإساءة إلى الغير أو المساس بالآداب العامة، وترى الدائرة ان التجريم يجب ان يشمل تصوير الشخص من دون علمه أو رضاه بأية وسيلة كانت حتى ولو لم يؤد إلى المساس بالآداب العامة أو الإساءة إلى الغير ذلك ان تصوير الشخص من دون علمه أو رضاه فيه مساس بحريته وخصوصيته التي كفل لها الدستور حرمة خاصة. 2- نصت الفقرة الثانية المضافة على اعتبار حيازة الصور أو لقطات الفيديو الخاصة بالغير أو التي تخل بالآداب العامة قرينة على تداولها أو توزيعها بخاصية البلوتوث. وترى الدائرة ان هذه الفقرة أخذت بمبدأ الشبهات في مجال العقاب الجنائي الذي يقوم على اليقين وعلى مبدأ ان الشك يفسر لصالح المتهم، كما انها أهدرت تماماً الركن المادي في جريمة تداول أو توزيع الصور ولقطات الفيديو والذي يتمثل في ارتكاب فعل التداول أو التوزيع أو بموجب هذه الفقرة يعني مجرد حيازة هذه الصور أو اللقطات ان المتهم قد ارتكب فعل التداول أو التوزيع ويتم معاقبته على هذا الفعل رغم انه لم يرتكبه في الحقيقة. 3- نصت الفقرة الثالثة المضافة على تجريم استخدام خاصية البلوتوث في الابتزاز والتحريض على الفسق والفجور. وترى الدائرة انه لا مبرر لمثل هذه الفقرة فيما يتعلق بالتحريض على الفسق أو الفجور إذ ان قانون العقوبات المشار إليه جرم في المادة (324) وما تلاها من مواد التحريض على الفسق والفجور بأية طريقة.

Akhbar Al-Khaleej

What that first paragraph in the proposed law says is that

anyone who takes a picture of any person without that person’s express consent shall be punished if the photographer’s intention was bad or if the picture is to used in ways against local culture. It is a criminal offence even if the photograph taken was in good intentions and does not veer from cultural norms regardless of the method adopted in photographing that person because taking this photograph impinges on a person’s freedoms which are guaranteed by the constitution.”
my translation

If this thing actually becomes law, then we might as well hang our cameras, camera-equipped phones, video cameras or be prepared to spend several years in prison for just doing an innocuous thing as taking a picture or treating this medium as a form of art.

Good morning!

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Comments

  1. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    Does this mean that whole of Bahrain TV is going to Jail including the broadcasting bureucrats who are responsible for taking public pictures without taking public permission?

    The PM’s biography on the net says he is interested in Photography. Is he above the law?

    What kind of laws are these that impinge of personal freedom of expression and development of art in various forms?

    Did anyone take a picture of Dhahranis wife and inccur his peeve?

    Where is the housing, education, better roads, better facilities, lower cost of living and land for all?

  2. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    Thanks MPs great job . people dont mix the internet with photo exchange for Bad objectives .

    Im realy happy for that because all will know there limits now .

    all Nations develop in there own way we dont care how other counteries deal with it we do it our way .

  3. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    Well, that doesn’t make any sense.

    First it says that taking pictures is a criminal offense if (1) photog has bad intentions or (2) pix will be used in ways the culture frowns upon.

    Then it says that taking pictures is a criminal offense even if (1) photog has good intentions and (2) culture is not veered from.

    So I guess you’re right. You can’t take any more pictures if this goes through.

    Even of your babies and toddlers, because they can’t express their permission.

  4. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    It is interesting to note that the comments in favour of the photography ban are written in somewhat less eloquent English :^)

    By the way, what was the problem with ladies driving in full niqab? Do they have their drivers licence pictures taken in full niqab as well? I think I missed the point there. Please explain.

    Qatar Cat

  5. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    that takes away freedom… Will thay banish camera phones?

  6. Alireza

    Re: Put your cameras away.

    What’s the size and specs? I might be interested.

  7. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    I agree with this New Law Totally . Well done MPs .

    Underdevelop nations always use tech in the wronge way and they dont learn without a shoes in there head .

  8. anonymous

    Re: Put your cameras away.

    Well ANON who agrees with the new proposed law. Soon you can bet a “beard” or “turban” will propose a new law to BAN the INTERNET as well. How will you feel then since you seem to have little problem with the WWW? I am curious to know how you can justify your postion of accpeting one and not the other? Please explain…..

    Besides your assertion that Bahrain is underdeveloped is false. Bahrain is not underdeveloped nor 3rd world. It just has a few underdeveloped minds that want to ban things like picture taking and Bluetooth. Much like yourself.

  9. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    I have a Fuji Digital camera and Nikon SLR a bit old, I need to hang or put up for sale, any one interested?

    BinShehab

  10. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    “Wow ,tell all the tourists that taking pictures is against the law.” – Wow, Bahrain has actual ‘tourists’! Now, I’m really shocked!

    Ahmed

  11. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    I don’t know what to say anymore! How can these people represent me as A Bahraini! I know the first thing I will do as of next year is to vote them out of office! This is just getting stupid and absurd!

    Ahmed

  12. anonymous

    Re: Put your cameras away.

    Why, Ahmed, are surprised? These MPs are the same guys (with the ignoramous Mr. Khalifa Al-Dhahrani at the helm, who requested the king to license women in [b]full niqab [/b]to drive.

    What is more frusterating, I think, is that the king actually went along with that stupidity.

    Criminalising taking ” a picture of any person without that person’s express consent” is just another step in the ongoing royal march of folly.

    The bureaucrats at the Legal Affairs Department are just following the supreme example of their employer, the king.
    AbuRasool

  13. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    This is nuts!! Wow ,tell all the tourists that taking pictures is against the law. Don’t take a picture of the mosque, or the fort ,or the burial mounds, or the bar bar temple, or the dolphin park or the beach at a hotel, or the shopping mall, or the bab souks. Why would you want to take photographs of the things you see on vacation??? No drinking and no cameras. Boy if they ban the internet too, what a great way to attract business and investment!!! Congratulations Bahrain! Here’s to a prosperous and enlightened future!

  14. anonymous

    Re: Put your cameras away.

    Thanks M.. Had a look at the posts, sigh.
    What can I say? Allowing women to drive means you have to allow them all to drive. You allow only the open-faced ladies to drive, then the full niqab clad ones will rally and probably get their own since they are more “proper”.

    I don’t think I’ve seen any of them driving here in Qatar.

    I remain dumbstruck.

  15. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    The dumbstruck one above, that was me.

    =^..^=

    [url=http://qatarcat.blogspot.com]Qatar Cat[/url]

  17. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    I think the law can be altered abit. I dont wanna be walking arround somwhere were all a sudden “CLICK” someone takes a snap shot of me. Which does happened by the way, and alot. Well, not taking pics of me ofcourse, but others lol.

  18. anonymous

    Re(1): Put your cameras away.

    Correction: sorry for the typo.
    The reference to the Speaker should read: “…the ignoramus Mr. Khalifa Al-Dhahrani at the helm………”.
    AbuRasool

  19. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    This means that person allowing himself to be photographed is also criminally liable for allowing a crime to take place by exposing himself to a camera.

    What about speed cameras?

    This opens new legal avenues for our erstwhile MPs to waste their time one and screw their way to another session.

    !@#$%^&*()_+}{:”|

  20. anonymous

    Re: I see nothing wrong with that

    Yes you can and if he dies then you can sue his family as they bear the burden of his sin and so on…….welcome o dark ages take us away from this blinding light of knowledge……where are those chastity belts…..those coats of mail…..those whips and chains…….aaaa the good old dark ages…..mmmmmmmmmmm

  21. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    So if like a newspaper journalist, or GDN reporter takes a picture, and i happen to appear in the background, can i technically sue him =P ??!

  22. anonymous

    I see nothing wrong with that

    It didn’t ban taking photographs of locations, tourists can do that. It didn’t ban taking photographs of people, you can do that. as long as they are OK with that.
    This law protects people’s privacy. One of the reasons movie stars from the west like to spend time in gulf countries because they don’t have to worry about the paparazzi.

    Trilancer.blogspot.com

  23. mahmood

    Re: I see nothing wrong with that

    Just imagine doing that when you want to take a picture of a demonstration. Any one of those in the demonstration under this law can legally sue you. Does that not impinge on your right to record memories?

  24. anonymous

    Put your cameras away.

    It scares me to hear of all these people who are supportive of such laws. So, let’s see, I’m at a party.. This party is Happenin! So I gather up some friends and take a picture of ’em.. Well, guess what, others will show up in the picture.. After all, this is a PARTY! Then what? They can sue me for infringing upon their freedom! I guess the MPs would agree with that one, since it’s “against” their religious beliefs to party in the first place!

    I don’t know about you guys, but I’m partying and taking Pictures! Screw this shit!

    AHMED

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