The Return of the “Traitor Circles”

This is very troubling:

Crackdown on cyber defamation

Posted on » Monday, September 10, 2012

THE Interior Ministry is set to crack down on defamation against national and public figures on social media networks, the acting general director for combatting electronic and economic crimes revealed yesterday.

He said anyone can report violations with details of the websites and eForums involved to the ministry website.

He said the ministry had received complaints by personalities who demanded an end to such acts.

“Online smear campaigns are tarnishing the reputation of national and public figures,” he said, warning that violators would be prosecuted.

He stressed that legal procedures wouldn’t mean curtailment of the freedom of expression but to deal with cyber crimes.

No matter how well intentioned this move is, some will take full advantage of it to continue to sow the seeds of discord in this country. This will be their ready and preferred method of exacting vengeance by levelling baseless allegations against those whom they don’t agree with. It will of course waste a lot of the authorities’ time who will be required to following up those allegations. At best, this move will see the return of the “traitor circles” this society has been suffering to this day for the past 18 months.

This is a very dangerous, not well thought out and completely unnecessary escalation that will further relegate Bahrain’s already damaged reputation to the very back of the various press, human rights and freedoms indices around the world.

The timing of announcing and enacting such a scheme is very wrong too, just days before Bahrain has to face the music in front of the UN Human Rights commission. Regardless, we have enough problems to contend with, why add one completely avoidable issue on an already heaping plate? A reboot and a grounded rethinking is very much required, gentlemen.