Bahrain: Social Media Posts Calling for Protests Punishable by Law

The Bahraini Ministry of the Interior released a statement Wednesday by Chief of Public Security Major-General Taraq Mubarak bin Daina regarding invitations to protest: “the mere fact of posting instigative calls” via “social networking and Internet websites inciting people to break the law” constitutes “a penal crime punishable by the law.” Bin Daina also warned that “the law on public rallies stipulates fines and jail terms, in addition to other penalties.” He added that the violence seen in some areas runs counter to the Kingdom’s approach to the modern, civil state, and threatens the movement for “social, political, and economic reform.” These statements are also confirmed on the official website of the Bahraini Police Media Center (Arabic.) Earlier this month, in regards to al-Wefaq protesters, bin Daina said that ”the provisions of the law stress the need to maintain discipline and public order, avoid any legal violations, prevent speeches and discussions contravening public order and inciting criminal acts.”

Meanwhile, in a Letter to the Editor of the New York Times, Bahraini Ambassador Houda Nonoo spoke of the government’s “reaffirmed commitment to international human rights standards.” Nonoo added, “no government can be accused of repression for trying to establish law and order when confronted by gangs of protesters and rioters wielding weapons and constructing roadblocks.”