Bahrain: silence is a war crime

Protests in Bahrain have attracted media coverage outside the country, but there has been little international attention paid to its government’s efforts to block media coverage inside Bahrain.  On Tuesday, Nada Alwadi, a Bahraini journalist and co-founder of the BPA, presented a 2012 report that tries to elucidate: Bahrain: Silence is a War Crime at the National Endowment for Democracy. Alwadi was joined on a panel by Delphine Hagland from Reporters without Borders and Adel Iskander from Georgetown University. David Lowe, Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs at the National Endowment for Democracy, facilitated the discussion.

Nada Alwadi described the status of Bahraini media before the protests. By 2010, the government controlled radio and TV stations as well as most of the major newspapers in the country (Alwasat newspaper was a notable exception). The government also monitored blogs and online news outlets. As a result of this state monopoly, the Bahraini press became largely ineffective. Without government funding, independent news outlets could not always sustain themselves. Alwaqt newspaper closed down in 2010 for lack of funding.

When protests broke out in 2011, the Bahraini government launched a violent campaign against journalists. According to Alwadi, the government targeted more than 135 journalists and media personnel during the first year of protests. Some were tortured and killed.  More went into jail. Alwadi herself was detained before fleeing to the United States. Those who survived detention were often fired or forced into hiding. Ali Abdulemam, a famous Bahraini blogger who was sentenced to 15 years in prison, went into hiding after the protests. Abdulemam surfaced in London only last month, after two years of hiding.

Targeting journalists was part of a larger strategy to create a media blackout in the country. Besides attacking local media, the authorities tried to ban international media outlets. The government even detained and tear gassed Nicholas Kristof, the New York Times columnist. According to Alwadi, Kristof was later denied visa to enter the country.

Bahraini authorities at the same time have also been trying to improve their image abroad. A member of the audience mentioned that the government has presented US congressmembers with proposals for reform that have not even been mentioned in Bahrain. Alwadi cited a project by Bahrain Watch showing that the Bahraini government spent more than $30 million on public relations firms in Washington DC, New York, and London since February 2011.

Delphine Halgand mentioned that Reporters without Borders ranks Bahrain in the bottom 15 countries in terms of press freedom. Bahrain fell by more than 60 places over the last four years. Reporters without Borders has added Bahrain to its list of Enemies of Internet. Bahrain is joined by Vietnam, Syria, Iran, and China on the list.

Adel Iskander, while acknowledging media control by the Bahraini government, accused regional and international media of complicity. The success of public relations companies hired by the Bahraini government does not explain the lack of international coverage of political events in Bahrain. During the 2012 Formula One in Bahrain, only a few journalists reported on the political issues. Instead, the race became an “island within [an] island” according to Iskander. Moreover, while reporters have limited ability to enter Syria, news from Syria is readily available. Bahrain is of strategic importance, and news from the country should be reported. Iskander suggested that analysts should document what happens in newsrooms in the Arab region and the rest of the world when Bahrain is mentioned. This could explain the lack of coverage of Bahraini protests.

The 2012 Annual Report by the Bahrain Press Association is an excellent document that should interest organizations concerned with freedom of expression and media, as well as anyone who is interested in Bahraini and Gulf politics. In addition, as Hagland suggested, journalists and government officials can use this document when discussing human rights abuses with Bahraini officials.