Blocked in Bahrain
Several Arab bloggers are reporting that Mahmood’s Den, a popular and prominent Bahraini/Arab blog has been blocked with immediate effect on the orders of the Bahraini Ministry of Information.
Seven sites in total have been blocked by the order, although only Mahmood’s blog a Bahraini. Other web sites vary between news, religious and entertainment web sites. The full list of banned blogs is:
According to Sabbah, the memo refers to press law no. 47, which was passed in 2002 and added further restrictions on freedom of expression including the prohibition of “defamation of the person of the king and royal family members.”
In the past, authorities have blocked access to a number of political sites, including those of opposition groups, because the officials claim that these sites incite “sectarianism” and contain “offensive content.” The criteria for making such determinations, though, are not clear. In some cases, the Ministry of Information claimed it blocked only sites that seek to “create tension between people and to provoke resentful sectarianism.”
In April 2005, the Bahrain Information Ministry ruled that any web site or blog that included any information on Bahrain were obliged to register with the Ministry and to assume responsibility for all materials published online.
Monday 30 Oct 2006 | Paul | Bahrain
thanks for ur job