Bahrain Mirror: Freedom House ranked Bahrain 72nd globally among not free countries in Internet freedom, noting that "Violence and torture against activists and journalists is common in Bahrain."

The organization said in a report that "Internet freedom in Bahrain remains restricted. Authorities continued to block websites and forced the removal of online content, particularly social media posts criticizing the government," noting that "self-censorship is high due to the fear of online surveillance and intimidation from authorities."

"Journalists and activists who work online continued to face extralegal intimidation, cyberattacks, and surveillance by state authorities," it added.

"Since violently crushing a popular prodemocracy protest movement in 2011, the monarchy has systematically eliminated a broad range of political rights and civil liberties, dismantled the political opposition, and cracked down harshly on persistent dissent in the Shiite population."

It highlighted that "Certain topics are not reported on by local media outlets. For example, the suspected use of spyware by the Bahraini government against citizens was largely omitted from mainstream media in Bahrain despite widespread reporting in international media."

The organization further stated "In December 2022, a social media user was reportedly forced to remove an Instagram post that criticized the normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel," the organization add. "Several social media users were arrested due to their political or religious speech, including prominent lawyer Ebrahim Al-Mannai."

"While authorities continue to rely on sophisticated spyware tools, in March 2023 the Bahraini government lost its bid for state immunity in an ongoing UK-based lawsuit filed by two Bahraini dissidents who had been previously targeted by government surveillance. The government has a controlling stake in the largest ISP, Batelco, while other ISPs are owned by investors from the private sector, some of whom have ties to the royal family. Meanwhile, The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority lacks independence," the report read.

It noted that "the authorities have blocked a number of international news websites and websites hosting political content. Many Bahraini sites that were blocked in 2017 have forgone their web presence, and some websites, such as the Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, moved exclusively to social media. Besides, Qatari websites have been blocked since May 2017, when Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar."

"Content deemed critical of the government is regularly removed from websites, and authorities put pressure on users through intimidation, interrogations, and arrests to force the removal of content. Content is removed from government social media accounts when it is deemed controversial or triggers unwanted criticism."

It also said "Multiple state organizations, including the MOI, can order the blocking of a website without a court order. Internet users exercise a high degree of self-censorship. Most people use pseudonyms on social media for fear of being targeted by the authorities. Even opposition news sites based outside Bahrain rarely publish the names of their editors."

"In a Twitter survey conducted in June 2020, 73 percent of participants said they fear legal repercussions if they comment on local issues."

It noted that "Authorities issue official statements warning against the discussion of certain subjects and the "misuse" of social media. Since 2011, hundreds of accounts suddenly emerged to collectively harass and intimidate online activists. In November 2020, the authorities announced the establishment of a "Bahrain Electronic Army that promotes hate speech against human rights activists and spread disinformation about their activities."

Freedom House stressed that "Violence, torture, and sexual assault against online activists and journalists at the hands of the authorities is common in Bahrain. Numerous online activists have fled Bahrain, and dissidents in exile are frequently harassed by government officials who threaten to harm their families in Bahrain."

Arabic Version