Month: May 2006

Bahrain 2.0

The Financial Times has an article about Bahrain this morning: As parliamentary elections approach for the second time in four years, hopes for a political system that gives the Shia a fairer share of wealth, land and power have faded and for young Shia, the prospect of earning a decent wage remains bleak. At current …

RSF’s 2006 Internet Report

Here’s what RSF have to say about Bahrain: Except for pornographic sites, Bahrain does not censor the Internet much. But it has unfortunately begun to regulate it in ways that endanger freedom of expression. The government said in April 2004 that all online publications, including forums and blogs, must be officially registered. Loud protests led …

Press Freedom Day

On the eve of the Press Freedom Day, the press in this, as well as virtually the whole Middle East, are in shackles, with parliaments aiding and abetting the press and its workers’ incarceration, utilising that ever-present fillip: religion, to justify imprisoning journalists and anyone else who dares to speak their mind and challenge a …

Wefaq ends boycott

Al Wefaq National Islamic Society is to join parliamentary elections later this year, reports Mohammed Al A’ali Al Wefaq’s 30-member Shura body has voted in favour of an earlier decision taken by its general-secretariat two weeks ago to participate in the elections. The decision was taken yesterday in an extraordinary meeting with 20 members voting …