Bahrain: The Government vs. Media
\n2 May, 2012 – POMED<\/p>\n
King Hamad Bin Aissa Al Khalifa of Bahrain accused foreign media of of exaggerating unrest and inciting violence. \u201dIt is quite clear that Bahrain has been targeted by purposeful, willful campaigns in some foreign media that sought to distort true facts, instigate violence, sabotage, hatred and hostility among citizens in our united nation,\u201d the King said. Though the King affirmed freedom of the press in this speech, Reporters Without Borders labeled him as a \u201cpredator\u201d of the media, and blamed him for the violence and abuse of journalists and bloggers. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khalid Al Khalifa urged regime loyalists to vote against the Al Jazeera documentary \u201cBahrain: Shouting in the Dark\u201d in the Radio Times poll.<\/p>\n
Frank Gardner wrote his report about his interview with Abdulhadi al-Khawaja. Brian Dooley called upon the government to release al-Khawaja instead of force feeding him, and added, \u201cAll of the 502 people convicted by the military court last year should have their convictions overturned, be freed immediately and have charges dropped against them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In related news, Naser al-Raas, a Canadien citizen, is now back in Canada and told reporters of his year-long ordeal in which he was tortured for 31 days. \u201dThe first time that I felt safe was yesterday,\u201d said al-Raas, who said he was electrocuted and subject to three mock executions \u2014 where his jailors fired rifles above his head \u2014 during his incarceration. Jess Hill asks: \u201cwill this quest for democracy result in Bahrain being taken over by its neighbour, Saudi Arabia?\u201d …more<\/a><\/p>\n