11th/12th/13th January 2015

BAHRAIN MEDIA ROUNDUP

Bahrain hands Shiite
opposition ex-MP jail
term for tweet

Former MP Jamil Kazem

tweeted to attack the
government of the Sunniruled kingdom over
reported bribes it paid for
candidates to take part in
the legislative elections.

A member of Bahrain's
main Shiite opposition
group was sentenced
Tuesday to six months in
jail for a tweet over election
bribes, his Al-Wefaq
movement which boycotted
the November polls said.

Al-Wefaq said his

conviction, including a fine,
showed "the regime does
not believe in political
dialogue but rather in
arbitrary procedures against
those who do not share its
opinions".

A Bahraini defense lawyer

says a court has sentenced
a former lawmaker from the
island kingdom's main
Shiite opposition group to
six months in jail over a
social media posting.

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Defense lawyer Abdulla alShamlawi said Jamil

Bahrain Court
Sentences
Opposition
Lawmaker to Prison
Over Twitter Post
Jamil Kadhem, a prominent
member ofBahrain's Shiite
opposition party Al-Wefaq,
has been sentenced tosix
months inprison
forcomments onTwitter, a
source atthe criminal court
inBahrain told RIA Novosti
onTuesday.

Amnesty urges
release of Bahrain
opposition head
Rights watchdog Amnesty
International has urged
authorities in Bahrain to
release a Shiite opposition
chief whose detention
sparked protests and
widespread condemnation.
Amnesty called for the
immediate and
unconditional release of

Kadhem's arrest and

conviction came shortly
afterhe wrote onhis Twitter
account aboutcases
ofpayments, made
byBahrain authorities
tocandidates toencourage
them torun inparliamentary
elections held inManama
inNovember 2014.
The post onsocial media
was regarded as
"slandering the electoral
process inthe parliament,"
the source told RIA Novosti.
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Sheikh Ali Salman, the

head of the influential AlWefaq bloc who was
arrested on December 28
on charges including
seeking regime change.
In a statement, the group
said it considers Salman's
detention "a flagrant
violation of his right to
freedom of expression,
association and assembly"
and urged the Bahraini
authorities "to release him
immediately and
unconditionally".
Read More

Bahrain court jails

former opposition
lawmaker over tweet

Hussain Jawad Case

Presents Bahrain
With Key Test on
Speech
Yesterday, Bahrain's foreign
minister took part in a Paris
rally in protest of the recent
killings at the Charlie Hebdo
offices and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, his government
continues to harass
journalists and other
peaceful critics, including
human rights defender
Hussain Jawad, who is
charged with free speechrelated offenses and faces
court tomorrow.

Kadhim was convicted

Tuesday of spreading false
information over a tweet
alleging that authorities
were offering money to
encourage candidates to
enter parliamentary
elections in November. He
says Kadhim was also fined
500 dinars, or about
$1,325.
Kadhim is a prominent
member of the al-Wefaq
opposition group, which
boycotted last year's
elections.
Read More
Chair of the EuropeanBahraini Organisation for
Human Rights (EBOHR),
Jawad faces the usual
charges levied against
human rights activists -insulting the monarchy and
inciting hatred against the
regime. It's an important
case not only because
Jawad is a prominent
member of civil society in
Bahrain, but also because
his arrest occurred when he
went to a police station to
complain about his being
targeted by a newspaper
that is loyal to the
government.
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Bahrain Protesters
Clash with Police
Bahrain police on Monday
(January 12) fired tear gas
to scatter demonstrators
who took to the street
Bahrain police on Monday
(January 12) fired tear gas
to scatter demonstrators
who took to the streets to
protest against the

government's decision to
extend the custody of a
Shi'ite Muslim opposition
leader for a further 15 days.
Several hundred protesters
gathered in the Manama
suburb of Bilad al-Qadeem
calling for his immediate
release. They marched
through the city holding
Bahrain flags and banners
showing photos of the
opposition leader.
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meaningful concessions
from their government.

Business as Usual in
Bahrain
Nearly four years have
passed since Bahraini
activists began a
concentrated campaign of
non-violent protests aimed
at achieving an array of
structural changes to the
countrys political system.
Despite sharing the
historical moment with
Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and
Yemen, where uprisings
resulted in the ouster of
long-standing authoritarian
leaders and regimes,
Bahrains presumptive
revolutionaries have thus
far failed to affect such a
transition or achieve

A Suppressed Awakening
The persistence of the
protesters has been
matched by the regimes
persistently oppressive
security forces and
intransigent ruling family. A
national dialogue process
that limped along for two
years and recent
parliamentary elections
among other initiatives
have all failed to satisfy
demands for democratic
reform and social equality
between Sunnis and
Shiites. How then has
Bahrain remained in such
stasis given this apparent
tumult?
Read More