alsingace - جمع, 2009-01-02 11:43 By alsingace
30 December 2008
Authorities prevent direct access to online forums
SOURCE: Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Manama
(BCHR/IFEX) - The http://bahrainonline.org and http://shaheed-bh.org
websites are well known state-targeted public forums in Bahrain. Recently,
for more than the tenth time since their launch, the authorities have
prevented direct access to these public sites inside Bahrain. The
administration teams of the websites have had to resort to providing
different addresses for the public to access the sites.
Bahrainonline is one of the oldest and largest public forums in Bahrain, as
well as the earliest to be targeted by the local authorities. It is an
independent electronic forum and an easily accessible source of information
and news exchange in Bahrain, as well as a host for articles and reports
considered subversive by the authorities. During the first quarter of 2005,
it was banned and its administrators were incarcerated and prosecuted by
the authorities on charges of inciting hatred. After international and
local protests, they were later released on bail, but were banned from
traveling.