Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain scored among the lowest ranks in the annual report issued by Freedom House organization, after putting the country under the "Not Free" category on the level of freedom of press, and freedom of the internet.

Bahrain ranked 186 in the study that included 199 countries and regions, while lasted in the place before last among Arab countries, followed by Syria, which came last.

The Freedom House report indicated that the press problems were "most acute in the Middle East, where governments and militias increasingly pressured journalists and media outlets to take sides".

The report further noted, "Only 13 percent of the world's population enjoys free press-that is, where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists is guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs is minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures."

Journalists and photographers in Bahrain serve imprisonment sentences, while the authorities recently refused to renew the working license for Bahraini journalists working for international news agencies.

Arabic Version