Bahrain Legalizes the Suppression of the Press: A New Law Strangles Journalists and Extends State Control to Cyberspace

Bahrain Press Association, London – United Kingdom | Sunday, 9 November 2025:
The Bahrain Press Association condemns the issuance of the Press and Electronic Media Law No. (41) of 2025, ratified and promulgated by the King on 30 October 2025 following its approval by both the Shura Council and the House of Representatives.

The Association considers this law a dangerous regression from Bahrain’s constitutional and international commitments to freedom of opinion, expression, and press freedom. It expands prior censorship and punitive administrative measures to include digital media, while keeping the door open for criminal prosecution through other legislation—foremost among them the Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law.

The law represents a setback due to its blatant contradiction with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 19), which stipulates that restrictions on freedom of expression and press freedom must be clearly defined, necessary, and proportionate to a legitimate aim. The law employs vague terms such as “national interest” and “exposure” instead of “incitement to violence,” broadening the scope of criminal interpretation. It also contains provisions that impose economic and procedural deterrents through high fines, blocking powers, and license revocations that could wipe out small platforms, while leaving parallel criminal routes wide open.

The passage of this law marks a serious setback for press freedom in the country and a violation of citizens’ and residents’ rights to express their opinions freely and safely. A close reading of its articles, compared with existing legislation, shows that the amendments offer no real breakthrough in freedoms. On the contrary, they strengthen the state’s tools for tightening control over both the media and digital spaces, leaving journalists and media institutions under constant threat of prosecution and administrative closure.

The Association stresses that although the new Press Law removes explicit prison sentences from its text, it retains a general reference to “any stricter penalty in other laws,” which permits prosecuting journalists and online activists under the Penal Code or other legislation—opening the door to severe prison sentences. Thus, the so-called “abolition of imprisonment” is merely a cosmetic gesture aimed at the international community to improve Bahrain’s human-rights image, while the reality remains unchanged: journalists remain vulnerable to imprisonment under other legal frameworks.

It is notable that the amendments under Law No. (41) of 2025 rewrite Decree-Law No. (47) of 2002, expanding its scope to include “electronic media.” This appears to be a legislative update to keep pace with digital development, but in essence it is an expanded reproduction of the old censorship system with new tools designed to restrict cyberspace and reinforce state authority over digital platforms and independent journalism.

The law extends censorship to the digital sphere, subjecting it to licensing, suspension, and administrative revocation. This effectively transforms the last relatively open space for civil society in Bahrain into a monitored and tightly controlled environment governed by broad executive powers. Articles (16) and (22) reinstate prior licensing as a condition for practicing any journalistic or media activity—even printing and publishing—contradicting the principle that prior licensing constitutes a form of preventive prohibition. The introduction of fines up to “five thousand dinars” further enables political and administrative discrimination in granting or denying licenses.

The philosophy of prior licensing for media activities and the inclusion of electronic platforms within this system undermine the principle of notification-based operation and grant the Ministry discretionary authority to exclude independent initiatives. The law also expands powers for temporary suspension, blocking, and administrative confiscation of content—amounting in practice to imposing “pre-punishment” before any final judicial ruling, in contradiction with the presumption of innocence and international standards of legality, necessity, and proportionality.

Article (69) criminalizes “exposure” to religion or the King, instead of “insult” or “incitement,” granting the Public Prosecution absolute discretion to criminalize any opinion. Strikingly, the law grants institutional bodies—ministries and governmental agencies—legal immunity parallel to the constitutional immunity of the King, placing substantive criticism of policies or government performance under permanent prohibition. This is a clear return to severe “red lines” that subject any journalistic practice in Bahrain to direct state oversight under threat of closure or license withdrawal alongside criminal penalties.

Articles (74), (75), and (78) authorize courts and the Ministry of Information to suspend newspapers or block websites “for no less than three months,” and even “for up to a full year or permanently revoke the license,” before any final judicial verdict (Article 78). These are pre-conviction penalties that clearly violate the presumption of innocence. Article (75) also allows the confiscation and deletion of content, turning the law into an instrument for digitally erasing journalistic material.

Articles (84) and (85) grant the Ministry of Information the power to issue warnings to newspapers and websites and compel them to publish the text of those warnings—constituting direct executive intervention in editorial content. The Ministry may also suspend or revoke licenses if “the editorial policy undermines the national interest,” a vague expression enabling authorities to treat any dissenting view as a national-security threat.

In sum, the new law’s provisions clearly indicate Bahrain’s direction toward entrenching security-based control over the media rather than easing it.

This new law is a heavier instrument in the hands of authorities to obstruct independent journalism and stifle freedom of opinion and expression by legalizing censorship and preventing the formation of alternative spaces for public debate.

The Bahrain Press Association calls on the international community and human-rights and media organizations to monitor the implications of this law and press for its alignment with international standards of freedom of expression, and to ensure an independent and safe media environment for journalists and digital workers.

Protecting freedom of expression and respecting the right to critique and accountability are not threats to national security—they are foundations of a state governed by law and institutions. Any legislation used to silence voices undermines citizens’ trust in justice and transparency and deepens the political and media crises in Bahrain.