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| Arabia |
| Bahrain promises media freedoms amid protest calls |
| 2011-02-14 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] Bahrain's leaders promised Sunday to expand media freedoms in another apparent attempt to quell plans for the first major anti-government protests in the Gulf since the uprising in Egypt. Sunni king getting really, really worried about Shi'a subjects. The tiny kingdom of Bahrain is among the most politically volatile in the Gulf and holds important strategic value for the West as the home as the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain's majority Shiites have long complained of discrimination by the ruling Sunni dynasty, whose crackdown on dissent last year touched off riots and festivities. Shiite-led opposition groups and others have joined calls for demonstrations on Monday -- the anniversary of Bahrain's 2002 constitution that brought some pro-democracy reforms such as an elected parliament. Security forces were deployed in malls and other key spots around Bahrain on Sunday in a clear warning against holding the rallies, but a prominent human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... activist predicted "chaos and bloodshed" if attempts are made to crush the planned demonstrations. Bahrain's leaders, meanwhile, have stepped in with concessions to try to defuse the protests. Government media monitors began talks Sunday with publishers and others to draft new rules to limit state controls. The official Bahrain News Agency, meanwhile, launched a new multimedia service that includes social media applications to seek more outreach. It's unclear, however, whether activists and rights groups will be satisfied with the proposed changes after facing widespread blocks on websites and blogs. |
| Posted by:Fred |