(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced alarm over the government’s decision to oblige all websites touching on Bahrain to register with the Information Ministry. The new measure was announced on 24 April 2005. The Information Ministry indicated that websites had six months to register as of 2 May. The ministry’s head of press and publications, Jamal […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced alarm over the government’s decision to oblige all websites touching on Bahrain to register with the Information Ministry. The new measure was announced on 24 April 2005.
The Information Ministry indicated that websites had six months to register as of 2 May. The ministry’s head of press and publications, Jamal Dawood, who drew up the administrative act, told RSF, “This is not a repressive step. On the contrary, it is intended to protect people running websites, who in future will be able to protect their rights of authorship.”
“Registration will be automatic and no one will be turned down, whatever the content. It will be free and there will be no need for any financial guarantees,” Dawood said, adding that the name, address and telephone number of site administrators will be required on registration.
Dawood admitted that he did not know what a weblog was, but said that even personal websites would have to comply with the new procedure. He added that it would not be possible to register online. Registration will be handled directly at the Information Ministry. After each website registration is validated, the person in charge will receive an identification number that will have to be posted on the site.
“Many online publications, such as forums or weblogs, allow Internet users an easy means of posting an article or remarks. The demand for a single administrator to be named for each website is therefore completely inappropriate for the Internet,” RSF said.
“This decision will intimidate online editors and push them into cutting back on their publication’s interactive aspects,” the organisation added.
Mansur Al Jamri, editor-in-chief of the Bahraini daily “Al Wasat”, described the measure as a “double-edge sword.” “It is to be expected that defamation and insults should be banned on the Internet,” he told RSF. “However, the Information Ministry’s action could jeopardise freedom of expression. Website editors and forum moderators will become 100 percent responsible for the content of the site, in the same way as a newspaper editor.”
