March and April 2016: 5 prison sentences against tweeters and 61 reports by the Parliament of its critics and the impediment of 20 journalists and correspondents from carrying out their work
London – 1st of May, 2016 – Bahrain Press Association: numerous violations have been reported by the Bahrain Press Association against journalists, photographers and Internet activists during the months of March and April of this year 2016. There has been about 5 judicial rulings issued in cases related to personal views. Mahdi Hussein a tweeter and owner of the account ‘Takroz’ on social media was sentenced to five years in prison for “offending the king”. The young man was also fined 200 Bahraini dinars on charges of “insulting the House of Representatives on a social networking site Instagram.”
Doctor Said Samahiji was also sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of “insulting a neighbouring/allied country” on social network. While Ibrahim Karimi also received sentence of two years and a month in prison on charges of “insulting the king of Bahrain, and an allied country”. The harshest of sentences was against the photographer Hossam Serror as received 15 years in prison for “participating in an unauthorised gathering.”
Bahraini’s Council of Representatives continued to officially report tweeters on social network to the public prosecution against on charges of “abuse of legislative power”; these reports reached 61 filed report. The security authorities arrested three others tweeters on various charges; one suspended for publishing content in breach of morality and managing the account “Arabian Nights” while the other two were charged for “insulting one of the religious clerics” The authorities’ campaign included preventing about 20 Bahraini and foreign journalists and correspondent from working in two separate cases. Hasan Jamali a journalist along with a photographer for the agency of “Associated Press” of America, and Naziha Saaid, correspondent for “France 24” channel were all banned from attending the press conference of the US Secretary of State John Kerry during his visit to Manama. The customs authorities at Bahrain International Airport also confiscated special recording equipment and other tools that belonged to 18 journalists, cameraman and a reporter from Bahrain. Details are as follows:
To postpone the appeal hearing of the photographer Sid Ahmed al-Moussawi.
The Court of Appeal held on the 2nd of March its first session to consider the sentencing of photographer Sid Ahmed al-Moussawi, who was jailed for 10 years for on the ground of ” establishing a terrorist cell over the phone.” The court decided to postpone the hearing until 27th April. Al-Moussawi was arrested on 10th February, 2014 without a warrant and was charged, in addition to the charge mentioned, he is also charged with “gathering in an illegal assembly” and “riots.”
Postponing the appeal hearing of Fadel Abbas.
The Supreme Court of Appeal decided on the 3rd of March to postpone the appeal of the detainee Fadel Abbas, Secretary General of assembly, “Alwahdawi”, in which the convict was sentenced to 5 years in prison, and the hearing will be on 25th of April 2016 due to the absence of the prosecution witness. The court also approved the fine of 100 dinars on a witness who is to appear before the court. Abbas was convicted with the “charge of broadcasting false news and rumours” and “propagating sensational publicity that could harm the military operations of the Armed Forces.”
The session of the 25th April, 2016 was again postponed to the 15th June 2017 due to the absence of the prosecution witness for the sixth time.
The postponement of Hassan Jassim, the tweeter’s trial.
The local court postponed the 4th of March session of the case of tweeter Hassan Jassim Ahmed (28 years) where he is accused of “insulting a range of people” and “insulting the King” on the social networking site “Facebook” dated back to the 4th April. During the session that was attended by the Prosecution witness who said that he gained the information from a confidential source while the lawyer requested a technical examiner to verify the claim. The hearing was postponed again until the 4t of May. Ahmed was arrested on the 21st of November, 2015 after a raid on his home with an arrest warrant for his wife, who was also arrested after they searched the house and confiscated; three mobile phones, two laptop computers and an Internet connection router. Ahmed and his wife, were both questioned separately on the issue of a Facebook account and some pictures of a political nature that were published on the said account.
The postponement of Ali Maaraj’s appeal hearing for the 18th time.
The Supreme Court of Appeal postponed on the 7th of March, 2016 the internet activist Ali Maaraj’s appeal for the 18th time in the case where the defendant is accused of “insulting the King” after his lawyer had presented his case. It was decided to have the appeal hearing on the 5th of April 2016.
Tweeter Hussein Mehdi sentenced to 5 years in prison.
It was ruled by the third Minor Court Criminal on the 10th of March 2016 to imprison the tweeter and owner of the ‘Takroz’ account on twitter, Hussein Mehdi for 5 years and fine him 10 thousand on charges of “insulting the King”, and ordered the confiscation of his phone.
This is the first ruling of its kind after the amendment of Article 214 of the Penal Code, which ruled to tighten the sanctions imposed on those who insulted via public means the King of Bahrain or the Kingdom’s flag or national emblem, so that “the punishment shall be imprisonment for no less than one year and no more than seven years plus a fine of no less than one thousand dinars but not exceeding ten thousand dinars.”
The postponement of tweeter Ibrahim Karimi’s trial
The fifth Minor Criminal court postponed on the 4th of March 2016 the trial of tweeter Ibrahim Karimi, who had his nationality revoked and is accused of “abusing the usage of social media” and “launching verbal attack on the leader of an allied country” and managing the account “Freij Karimi” on “Twitter” up to the 17th of March. The court rejected a call for the intervention of a technical examiner, being satisfied with just what the prosecution witness had to say. During the hearing on the mentioned date and after the defence lawyer represented his case the appeal was postponed again until the 31st of March.
The owner of “Arabian Nights” account is arrested.
It was announced by the Interior Ministry of Bahrain on 16th of March 16, 2016 the arrest of the director of “Arabian Nights” account on a social network site. It stated on its official page on “Twitter” that they have arrested the owner of said account but did not reveal his name after the accused had “spread pornographic videos.”
Two arrested on charges of “insulting one of the religious clerics.”
It was announced by the Public administration in combating corruption and economic security on the 17th March, 2016 that it had arrested two people – without publishing their identities – after published a video clip that was deemed insulting to one of the religious clerics in Bahrain without direct reference to the actual religious cleric. While the lawyer of the detainees stated that the video “had been published without the prior knowledge of her clients, noting that the video was intended as private viewing for a small group of their friends and was meant as a joke and light relief”.
A citizen charged with insulting the House of Representatives is fined 200 Dinar.
The First of the Lower Criminal Court fined on the 23rd of March,2016), a young Bahraini 200 dinars on charges of “insulting the House of Representatives on a social media site.” The case dates back to when the young man posted on his “Instagram” account phrases the court deemed “offensive to the House of Representatives,” which led them to launch a lawsuit against him by the general prosecution, and was then referred to Court, which sentenced him to with the above decision.
The postponement of 5 appeals of the owner of “Minrfazhm” account.
The High Criminal Court II postponed on the 25th March 2016, five appeals of the owner of “Minrfazhm,” account; Mohammed bin Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa, who is accused of libel and slander across the social network site “Twitter” to a session to be held on 19th April 2016 for a final hearing. Prosecutors assigned to the accused, five charges of defamatory and misuse of public communications equipment and was convicted in all of the charges and given a financial fine of 500 dinars for each individual charge, but he appealed against all the sentences before the court of appeal. According to his confession he admitted that he owns the account “Minrfazhm” and another one called “Union of Qadisiyah” which aims to post about the “defence of Bahrain and combating coup plotters,” as he claimed.
The poet Ahmed Al Ajmi called for investigation.
The security authorities summoned the well known Bahraini poet Ahmed Al Ajmi on the 28t March 2016, and interrogated him in Nabih Saleh police station. This summon came after he delivered a poem on the 24th of February 2016 at the headquarter of ‘waad’ association in a program that included a stand of solidarity with the former Secretary General of the Association of Ibrahim Sharif.
Tweeter Ibrahim Karimi is jailed for two years.
The five Minor Criminal Court sentenced on the 31st of March 2016 the detainee Ibrahim Karimi to two years and a month in prison as well as imposing on him a fine of 2100 Bahraini Dinar. Karimi was convicted on charges of insulting the king of Bahrain and allied States through his administration of the “Freij Karimi” account, despite his denial of the charges.
Doctor Said Samahiji sentenced to a year imprisonment.
The Lower Criminal Court the ninth ruled on the 7th of April 2016 a year in prison for doctor. Said Samahiji after being convicted of “insulting an ally country” and “public incitement to non-compliance with the law and regulations in the Kingdom of Bahrain” and ” public call to participate in marches and unlicensed gatherings”. This ruling came after he published a tweet on his account on the social network site of “Twitter” in which he criticised the Saudi regime’s execution of Saudi cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The trial was postponed more than once at frequent intervals on the 7th of March 2016 and the 23th of March 2016 and on the 4th of April 2016 before the court ordered his conviction.
Preventing correspondents from the “Associated Press” and “France 24” to cover “Kerry’s” Conference.
The security authorities prevented on the 7th of April 2016,Hasan Jamali a journalist along with a photographer for the agency of “Associated Press” of America, and Naziha Saaid, correspondent for “France 24” channel from attending a press conference held by the US Secretary of State John Kerry during a visit to Manama. The authorities explained the ban due to “the end of their work permit.”
Confiscation of 18 filming equipment that belongs to the press.
The customs authorities at Bahrain International Airport confiscated on the 10th of April 2016, the privately owned filming equipment as well as other equipment that belongs to 18 journalists and a cameraman and a reporter from Bahrain and abroad after they covered the military training of the US forces that are stationed in Bahrain. The authorities then released the equipment after long hours of delay without an explanation.
A Shi’a religious man, Sheikh Mohammed Mansi is held.
Prosecutors ordered on the 17th of April, 2016 the prosecution of the imam al-Zahra mosque Sheikh Mohammed Mansi (46 years) the Shi’a cleric, for a week pending investigation on charges of “inciting hatred against the regime” and “insulting the Interior Ministry” on the basis of delivering a speech criticising the way that the Ministry of the Interior deals with religious scholars over investigation and recall.
Mansi received the summon on the 15th of April 2016,that requested his immediate presence from the South Hamad Town Centre, where he was detained for two days prior to his appearance infront of the public prosecutor, he was questioned at the centre until midnight about the content of a speech/sermon he gave on Friday at the mosque of al-Zahra in the Hamad Town area.
Vocalist Sayed Hassan Alawi arrested because of a poem
The security authorities arrested on the 20th of April 2016 the vocalist Sayed Hassan Alawi Al-shahrkani after being summoned to be investigated with at the centre of the roundabout 17 in Hamad Town. The General Prosecutor decided to keep him in custody for a week on charges of “insulting the king and the national flag and slogan” after delivering a eulogy to in the area of Shahrkan.
The photographer Hossam Serror sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The local court sentenced on the 21st of April 2016 photographer Hossam Serror to 15 years in prison for “participating in an unauthorised gathering” and “attacking the police.”
Prosecutors: 61 reports from Parliament against tweeters
Ahmed Al Dosari; the first lawyer for general prosecution stated on the 25th of April that the prosecutor “has received from the Chairman of the House of Representatives from July 2015 to the 24th of April 2016 about 61 filed reports against owners of personal accounts on social networks and has asked launch criminal cases against them for the contents of their publication on these accounts which goes beyond the protocol of freedom of opinion and expression that is guaranteed by law as it represents a direct insult to the legislative authority of the House of Representatives. ”
He pointed out that the public prosecutor “began its investigation in all such filed reports, which has led them to know the identity of 8 accounts’ user and referred two of the accused to the criminal court on charges of insulting the House of Representatives. One was sentenced to three months imprisonment but the sentence will be suspended if 50 dinars is paid, while the other accused received a fine of 500 dinars, and the remaining 6 cases are still under investigation. Three other filed reports were shelved, for lack of information about the actual culprit and his associates’ identities, the Council also waived two of the mentioned filed reports yet investigations are still underway to detect identity of the perpetrators in the rest of the reports. ”