The Bahrain Press Association recently published its semi-annual report on freedom of expression and press freedom within the country. This report documents how, since the beginning of 2025, there have already been many cases of violation of these freedoms affecting activists and dissidents within the country. Moreover, these incidents were particularly concentrated in the Ashura period, which, as is well known, is always a time of great tension within the country.
Based on the report presented by the Bahrain Press Association, from the beginning of the year until the end of June 2025, there are already 2,037 documented cases of repression of freedom of speech in Bahrain. Particularly problematic was the law enacted by the Bahraini parliament concerning press freedom, which triggered a series of censorship. On 8 May this year, the parliament voted to approve amendments to Decree Law No. (47) of 2002, which greatly restricted the freedom of reporters.
Particularly problematic within this reform is the licensing system that is imposed on the press and those who publish through other media. Article 3, for example, imposes this for all those who promulgate information through “electronic media”. This definition is quite broad and could apply to any kind of digital medium, such as blogs or social accounts. This means that all “media-related” news outlets and digital platforms will have to apply for authorisation from the Ministry of Information in order to publish and operate in the country.
Another problematic and rather controversial article is Art. 67 of the same law. The latter says that no media outlet in Bahrain shall be censored in any way. With the licensing system, however, the government of the country has enough power to influence editorial lines and restrict the publication of certain information that opposes the narrative proposed by the government of the country.
This repressive and limiting system manifested itself, for example, during the war between Israel and Iran. Many journalists and online activists who had sympathised with Iran were in fact censored and called out by the authorities. A glaring example is that of the photographer Sayeq Baqer Al-Kamil, who, in those days, was called in, interrogated and released only after swearing not to publish anything related to the ongoing war.
The Ashura period was another time of great repression of freedom of expression. In those days, two young men, Qasim Mohammed and Hussain Helal, were arrested after hanging a celebratory banner. On the same days, the authorities surrounded the city of Al-Duraz, restricting access to the city to clerics. This led to a series of clashes that caused serious injuries to a young man, Hassan Al-Anfouz. These episodes thus reveal how the repression carried out by the Bahraini government does not only stop at restricting press publications, but also religious festivities or activities that openly criticise it.
The repression of freedom of the press and expression by the Bahraini government is a sign of a systematic tactic of repression that has been in place since 2011. It is mostly since that time that the country’s government started to crack down on activities that openly and unfilteredly criticised it. Today, we have reached a point where this system is now solidified and has become increasingly strong. Those who wish to express an opinion that deviates from the government’s direction risk persecution through arrests, arbitrary imprisonment, torture and sometimes the death penalty.
It is unacceptable that within a country, journalists must obtain permission from the government in order to be able to publish news and not be subject to risks. It is also unacceptable what continues to happen every year during Ashura, when the entire Shia community is persecuted and their freedom of expression and religion is restricted. It is therefore crucial to continue to shed light on the restrictions that the Bahraini government continues to place on all those who speak out against it. Only in this way can the government be held accountable, and steps can be taken to bring these episodes to an end.
