Bahrain Press Association: The suspension of al-Wasat is the final nail in the reforming project of the king

Bahrain Press Association – London, June 27, 2017: Bahrain Press Association calls on all organizations and bodies active for the freedom of press and the freedom of expression to appeal the Bahraini government to revoke the suspension of the independent Bahraini newspaper al-Wasat and to end the pressures on the Board of Directors so that the newspaper will be re-issued and all its employees will back to perform their jobs. Moreover, the Bahrain Press Association affirms that the suspension of al-Wasat and the staff layoffs is a setback for the press in Bahrain and a final nail in the coffin of the national reform project, of which al-Wasat was one of the most important achievements.

The Association believes that the political government pressures on the Board of Directors and investors and the “unconstitutional” suspension decision forced the Board of Directors president Adel Al-Maskati on Saturday, June 24 to send a letter to the employees informing them of the Board’s decision to “terminate the employees contracts with the newspaper”, paving the way for full closure and commencement of liquidation proceedings.

In fact, the Bahrain authorities, represented by the Ministry of Information Affairs, have suspended al-Wasat newspaper on June 4 until further notice, citing “violating of the law and repeatedly publishing and broadcasting discrimination content in the society and affecting the relations of the Kingdom of Bahrain with other countries, after publishing an article on page 19, containing an offense to an Arab country according to the official Bahrain News Agency.

Al-Wasat newspaper included an article by journalist Qassem Hussein entitled “Al-Hoceima protests in Morocco knock the alarm again.” This article causing the closure of the newspaper didn’t include any irregularities that contradict with the values ​​of professional journalism. The Association affirms that the suspension issue is purely political, and related to the coverage of the events in the country since 2011 by the newspaper.

Al-Wasat, founded few months after the launch of the national reform project 15 years ago, employs about 160 employees. The newspaper received several prizes, locally and regionally. Al-Wasat is the only independent newspaper in the country, often hosting different points of view about political and security events.

Al-Wasat newspaper was subjected to frequent official harassment. It was actually suspended in 2011, in 2015 and in early 2017. Some of its employees were also subjected to arrest, torture and unfair judicial rulings.