Bahrain shuts down a local newspaper over Al Hociema's Hirak

The Bahraini Ministry of Information Affairs shut down «AlWassat», an Arabic-language daily newspaper in Manama, after it published an article about Hirak in Al Hociema, the Bahraini news agency reports. AlWassat was suspended on the 4th of June until «further notice».

le gouvernement du Bahrein suspend le journal Alwasat suite a la publication d'une chronique sur le #Hirak. #Marochttps://t.co/cVZxA387Ze

— imad stitou (@StitouImad) June 4, 2017

The same source indicates that the daily newspaper with the writing of that article has been «violating the law and spreading what would stir divisions within the community and undermine the Kingdom of Bahrain's relations with other countries».

«The daily in its June 4 edition published a column on page 19 that included a defamation of a sisterly Arab country», said the news agency.

For the record, AlWassat was founded in 2002 after the early reforms adopted by King Hamad bin Isa. It is the most popular newspaper in Bahrain and is generally regarded as one of the only dailies that does not take a loyalist stand to the Bahraini government. It is the first Bahraini newspaper to reflect opposing viewpoints.