Bahrain moves up 8 places in freedom of press

The Arab Journalists Union (AJU) released in Cairo today its annual report on freedom of press in the Arab world and violations against journalists in 2012-2013 by observing 18 member states through field studies and national union's reports. Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) took part in the celebration with a delegation comprising its chairman Mones Al Mardi, Deputy Chairman Mohannad Suleiman and Freedoms Committee Head Abdullah Al Mennai. President of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Jim Boumelha and other officials also took part. The report has shown that Bahrain has moved up eight places in the annual rating of press freedom for the year 2012, according to international reports, thus ranking 165 internationally up from 173 in 2011. It has also been revealed that the union has worked professionally verifying false reports on Bahrain obtained from a biased centre. Consequently, the union decided not to take into consideration those biased reports aimed at tarnishing Bahrain's reputation, Head of the committee Abdul Wahab Zghilet said, lauding measures taken by Bahrain to further boost freedom of press. The committee's report has also shown that in 2012-2013 no Bahraini journalist was jailed because of his political opinions or views. It also stressed His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's pledge to support press freedom and reform, pointing out his directives to the Representatives Council, in his speech marking The Press Day, to expedite the Press Law to further promote freedoms. HM also affirmed in his speech that no journalist will be jailed for his/her opinions. The committee added that the reports also showed that many journalists and photographers were targeted by radical groups while covering events in Bahrain. BJA described the repeated attacks on the media staff and journalists by the radical groups as a clear and new method of terrorism to muzzle voices trying to convey the real situation in Bahrain, demanding the parties involved to immediately stop those heinous acts belying fake slogans raised for freedom.