Manama: Bahrain Journalists Syndicate yesterday warned against the increasingly exclusionist tendencies being adopted by private citizens and official institutions.
"We have noted with alarm the latest developments and procedures connected with journalists, and we fear that they are meant to curb their freedom of expression," the syndicate, yet to be officially recognised, said in a statement.
"What compounds the situation is that the attempts to limit the freedom of journalists have emanated from private citizens, which indicates that the degree of social leeway and tolerance is ominously decreasing and that people do not recognise the right of others to differ from them."
Last week, Makki Hassan, a business and political affairs journalist, said he was verbally abused and asked to vacate a maatam, a Shiite community centre, and a cafe by angry people who blasted him for covering the condolences house set up by a pro-Baath party on the execution of Iraqi former president Saddam Hussain.
Makki said his brother was also hassled and that some people planned to burn his house.
In another case, Bahrain's leading blogger Mahmoud Al Yousuf was taken to court by the municipalities and agriculture minister who accused him of defaming him.
Summoned
Last month, two journalists were summoned by the public prosecutor for "challenging" a gag on the publication of articles related to a report prepared by a former government consultant about alleged domestic policies.
Also last month, a Bahraini court sentenced two activists for possessing a booklet authored by a London-based dissident who called for a change of the political regime and a boycott of the parliamentary elections.
