جمعية الصحفيين البحرينية تستنكر محاكمة البلوغر البحريني محمود اليوسف

ندعو الصحافيين للإحتشاد أمام المحكمة

الجفير – جمعية الصحفيين البحرينية – الأحد الموافق 15 ابريل 2007
تدعو جمعية الصحفيين البحرينية جميع المنتمين للجسم الصحافي في البحرين إلى الإحتشاد والتضامن مع البلوغر البحريني محمود اليوسف، وذلك أمام المحكمة الجنائية الكبرى يوم غد الثلاثاء القادم الموافق 17 أبريل 2007 في القضية المرفوعة ضده من قبل وزير البلديات منصور بن رجب.

هذا وتهيب الجمعية بجميع الصحفيين التواجد في قاعة المحكمة وإعلان تضامنهم مع اليوسف تجاه هذه القضية التي تستهدف حرية الرأي والكلمة في البحرين. وتعلن عن إستنكارها لإصرار الوزير في إقامة دعواه ضد اليوسف، خاصة وأن موضوع الدعوى يتعلق بمقالة إنترنتية كان اليوسف يتناول فيها الوزير بصفته الإعتبارية لا الشخصية. كما وتدعو الجمعية جميع مؤسسات المجتمع المدني الحقوقية والسياسية والإجتماعية إلى التضامن بالحضور وإطلاق البيانات الداعمة لليوسف. كما وتعلن الجمعية أنها قد طلبت من المحامية فاطمة الحواج تولي مهام الدفاع عن محمود اليوسف، وتشكر الجمعية المحامية الحواج على إستجابتها السريعة لذلك.

إن جمعية الصحفيين البحرينية تدرك خطورة الإستمرار في مثل هذه المحاكمات التي تسعى إلى تقويض واحد من أهم المكتسبات الوطنية في العهد الإصلاحي لجلالة الملك حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة وهو الكلمة الحرة التي لا يمكن لجمعية الصحفيين أن تقف مكتوفة الأيدي أمام محاولات إغتيالها.

إن جمعية الصحفيين البحرينية ومن هذه المنطلق تؤكد أنها ستسعى خلال الفترة القادمة إلى تفعيل أدواتها وعلاقاتها مع المنظمات الإقليمية والدولية. ساعية من خلال هذا التحرك إلى إيقاف هذه الحملات القضائية ضد الصحافيين في البحرين.

كما وتؤكد الجمعية، انها في تبنيها لقضية البلوغر البحريني محمود اليوسف قد راعت الإلتزامات والسياقات القانونية للنشر الإلكتروني، معتبرة حرية التعبير في “المدونات” جزء لا يتجزأ من حرية الكلمة والتعليق وفق ما تقتضيه أدبيات ميثاق العمل الوطني ودستور مملكة البحرين 2002 وآخذة في الاعتبار تبني المؤسسات الدولية لحرية الصحافة العديد من القضايا المتعلقة بالمدونات والنشر الإلكتروني.

وإننا في جمعية الصحفيين إذ نصدر هذه الدعوة فإننا على ثقة بأن نزاهة القضاء البحريني ستكون داعمة لحرية الكلمة والتعبير. وإن الجمعية لتقدر في أعضاء الجسم الصحافي في البحرين سواء الأعضاء المنتمين أو من هم خارجها إستجابتهم لهذه الدعوة للاحتشاد في يوم المحاكمة آملة في أن يستجيب الوزير لمطالبات سحب هذه الدعوى.

عادل مرزوق
نائب رئيس الجمعية

The Bahraini Journalists Association denounces the trial of Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif

Journalists call to mobilize at the High Criminal Court

Jufair – Bahraini Journalists Association – Sunday, April 15, 2007
Bahraini Journalists Association invites all journalists in Bahrain to amass in solidarity with the Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif at the High Criminal Court on Tuesday April 17, 2007 due to the case brought against him by the Minister of Municipalities Mansour bin Rajab.

This calls all the journalists to be present at the courtroom and declare their solidarity with Al-Yousif on this issue of freedom of opinion and expression in Bahrain. The BJA condemns the insistence of the minister in pursuing a lawsuit against Al-Yousif, especially as Al-Yousif’s criticism of the minister in his Internet published article was criticism of the minister’s capacity as public official rather than personal. The BJA also calls on civic institutions political and social to show their solidarity by attending at the trial and release supportive statements of Al-Yousif. The Society also announces that it has asked Advocate Fatima Al-Hawaj to assume the defense of Mahmood Al-Yousif and would like to thank Ms. Al-Hawaj for her acceptance in assuming that role.

The Bahraini Journalists Association, realizes the seriousness of the continuation of such trials, which seek to undermine one of the most important achievements in the national reform of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which is the tenet of the freedom of speech; thus, the Journalists Association will not stand idle and watch the the assassination attempts of this freedom.

The Bahraini Journalists Association will exert all efforts available within its powers and will activate all the tools at its disposal as well as its relations with regional and international organizations to demand a stop to these judicial campaigns against journalists in Bahrain.

The Association stresses that in espousing the cause of Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al-Yousif had taken into consideration the commitments and legal contexts of electronic publishing asserting that freedom of expression in these laws are an integral part of freedom of speech as required by the tenets of the National Action Charter and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It has also taken into account the adoption of international journalists institutions of similar electronic publishing cases and defended them within the context of the freedom of the press.

We in the Journalists Association are confident of the impartiality of the judiciary in Bahrain and will be supportive of freedom of speech and expression. The Association appreciates that the members of the press in Bahrain, both members and non-members, respond to this call to mobilize on the day of the trial hoping that the minister responds to our demands of withdrawing this lawsuit.

Adel Marzooq
Vice President
Bahrain Journalists Association

note: translation to English is my attempt

Comments

  1. Moclippa

    Glad to know they are on board, and offering such degrees of support. Wish you the best of luck.

  2. Bahraini and proud

    well well well instead of dragging you to court because of website your own little space where you can speak you mind, let them concentrate thier efforts to find Abbas’s killer…..

    My worse fear is that tommorrow they are going to sue people for breathing in a wrong way, and that is of course after they charge us for the air we breath hehehe

    don’t worry Mahmood all of Bahrain is going to be on your side

  3. T

    Obviously freedom of the press is very un-islamic, even freedom of opinion in any matter is very un-islamic.

    “it is not fitting for a muslim to have any opinion in any religious matter” – quran 33:36

    “all matters are religious” – quran 2:210

    “all muslims kill for allah” – quran 9:111

    So exactly what are you complaining about ? This is your chosen religion, now live with it, or rather … kill and die with it.

  4. Bernie

    Wow T, it’s being so optimistic and cheerful towards your fellow man that makes the world a truly wonderful place to live in.
    I’ve god news, the Christian lot ain’t so damned good either.

  5. Eagle

    This is your chosen religion, now live with it.

    What arrogance you have. First, you are quoting things out of context with the intention of malice. Second, you’re stereotyping the Bahraini people as if all of them are religious fundamentalists. Third, some of us are secular. Do we have to live with it too?

    troll…

  6. Simon Columbus

    @ T:

    I think you’re citations are pretty wrong… 33:36 and 2:210 in my version seem to be very different to yours, and 9:111 you have shortened far too much. In my version (it’s german, I’ll try to translate it) it is said: “… they fight for the religion of Allah.” I think there’s a huge difference between kill and fight…

    Don’t you think it’s a crime to distort the word of Allah (I don’t believe it is the word of Allah, but you seem to…)? So you shouldn’t tell Mahmood what he has to say and what not…

  7. mahmood

    He’s not even an intelligent agent provocateur, just a parrot repeating what he has been taught to memorise so let’s ignore him and not divert the attention of the original article.

  8. F

    Mahmood – Good luck with this situation. I think the outcome will
    certainly be revealing.

    T – stop hate, start following your own faith and do some good. Don’t waste your time on this issue. You’re life will be worth
    more if you do good.

  9. Anonymous

    4.Bahraini and proud
    well well well instead of dragging you to court because of website your own little space where you can speak you mind, let them concentrate thier efforts to find Abbas’s killer…..

    :wassat: :wassat: :wassat:

  10. naddooi

    Good luck mahmood!!!

    I am sure the judges are wise enough to see that you took steps to please the honourable minister, and even changed your post, which he it seems found unsatisfactory (although requested by him) and cannot decide whether to drop the case or not! I believe I change my mind less on what to wear in the mornings… and im female!

  11. Ati

    … and i’m female!

    Ooooops! But, really, I have no problem with it. Actually it was welcome, especially since it came from a femable.

  12. Ati

    @ T: you seem to be full of hate and ignorance and Mahmood is right in what he’d to say about you.

    @Simon Columbus: there is but one version of the Quran, sir.

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  14. docspencer

    T, 6 above:

    “it is not fitting for a muslim to have any opinion in any religious matter” – quran 33:36

    T, you are a true asshole. I just took your first Qur’an quote, and with any search the outcome is very different from the anti_Islamic garbage you spew. It is amazing to me that Muslims like you I assume, are painting such a barbaric view of Islam.

    The actual Qur’an quote for 33.036 are the following possibilities:

    033.036
    YUSUFALI: It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.
    PICKTHAL: And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.
    SHAKIR: And it behoves not a believing man and a believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely strays off a manifest straying.

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