Though many Saudi citizens turn to Bahrain in an attempt to bypass the strict Internet censorship laws they face in their own country, Bahrain does not offer Internet users unconditional freedom. The freedom Bahrain offers is a limited one that allows access to only websites that avoid mentioning the situation in Bahrain itself.

     The Bahraini Minister of Media, Nabil Jacob Al-Hamr, has admitted that the government bans and blocks access to those web pages it finds to its dissatisfaction. In response to this censorship, Bahraini citizens demonstrated in front of the Bahraini Communications Company (Betelco)-which has a monopoly over Internet connection service provision in Bahrain-to express their opposition to Internet censorship. According to the B.B.C., the demonstrators demanded that the Communications Company stop banning and disabling websites the government claims create turmoil. Some demonstrators stated that the disabling of websites is a gross violation of freedom of expression and one that is especially glaring given King Hamad Ben Issa Al Khalifa's declaration of the start of democratic reforms.

     Amongst the demonstrators' demands was the resignation of the Minister of Media Jacob Al-Hamra, who justified censorship by saying that "authorities only disable the websites that contain offensive content." (1)

      Like several other Arab governments, the Bahraini government justifies Internet bans upon the pretext that the government is the defender of morality and by claiming that certain websites are responsible for creating domestic turmoil.

     The bans that the government has placed upon the websites of its political opposition, however, demonstrate the government's intolerance of criticism directed towards it and reveal that the government's stated aim of preventing turmoil through censorship is nothing but a thin justification for its violation of the freedom of expression and the free dissemination of information. The Minister of Media has argued that the government has banned only four websites and has assured his critics that he and his ministry will reconsider their decision if those responsible for these websites reconsider the content. The authorities issued orders to Betelco Company, which provides the Internet services, to ban the following four websites: Ahrar Al-Bahrain ("Liberals of Bahrain"), Bahrain online, Montadayat Al-Bahrian ("Bahrain's Forums") and the well-known A.O.L website. (2)

      The Bahrain Online website is considered to be the most active website in Bahrain. It was banned several times before because it contained vibrant discussions about the social and political situation in Bahrain and had published press releases and reports issued by Bahraini political and human rights institutions. It also provided a forum for its visitors to express and exchange opinions, news, and information.

      On April 7, 2004-the date when the Bahraini government banned the website-the website managers sent a letter of inquiry to the Betelco Company. The response sent from Betelco Company to the website manager stated merely that the Company had received an order from the Ministry of Interior and a decree to ban the website.

      The website managers were surprised at this reply, as they had not been contacted by any administrative or judicial body. Nor had they been officially informed of the decision to ban the website or given the reasons behind the ban. (3)

      The Bahrain Center for Human Rights thinks that the main reason for the ban is the content of the website, which including opinions opposing the government that the government does not allow to be published in other forms of media.

     Another reason for the ban might be the campaign launched by the government against four Bahraini oppositional political associations. These political associations were calling for constitutional reforms and collecting signatures for a petition demanding these reforms. The Minister of Labor threatened these four associations and attempted to stop their campaign. The Bahraini Center for Human Rights warned that the website ban might be a part of a larger, systematic campaign launched by the government to limit the activities of its opposition amongst both human rights and political activists; it is believed that this escalating campaign will lead to further restrictions of public liberty. (4)

      Since Bahraini citizens first gained access to the Internet in 1995 they have depended heavily upon it as their main platform of expression because the government exercises control over all other audio, the visual, and the print forms of media.

      Galal Olwy is considered to be the first victim of the illegal Internet censorship in Bahrain. He was arrested in March 1997 on the basis of Bahraini government allegations that he had sent information through the Internet to "the Bahrain Liberal Movement." The government detained Olwy on this charge for about 18 months. (5)

      In early May 2004, an official with the Bahrain Communications Company (Betelco) stated that the number of the Internet users in Bahrain is more that 100,000 subscribers (6), which is considered a huge number for a state in which the population is not more than 730,000 people.



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Footnotes
1- BBC, 5 May 2002, accessed on 9 November
2002,http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/middle_east_news/newsid_1969000/1969668.stm
2- BBC., 26 March 2002, accessed on 30 July 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/newsid_1895000/1895014.stm
3- A message from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights dated 11 April 2004
4- Ibid.,
5- "The Annual Report of The Human Rights Watch For the Year 1999,"
http://www.hrw.org/arabic/reports/wr99/bahrain.htm
6- Bahrain News Agency, 4 May 2004, Accessed 8 May 2004
http://bna.bh/?ID=26963