Witness: Expelled from Bahrain, a nation now in fear

Witness: Expelled from Bahrain, a nation now in fear
By Frederik Richter
MANAMA | Tue May 17, 2011 10:09am EDT

MANAMA (Reuters) – When I got the usual call to visit Bahrain’s Information Ministry, I braced myself for complaints about my coverage of the crackdown on Bahraini Shi’ites protesting against the kingdom’s Sunni-led government.

Every other week it seemed, since I moved to the island, I have been called in for meetings with government officials over Reuters coverage of what Bahrain’s Shi’ite majority says is discrimination by the Sunni rulers. Once, I got an angry call in the middle of the night. This time, though, the mood was calm and somewhat friendly when I went to the ministry last Tuesday. The official, in a traditional white robe, sat down with me in a modern office with a large TV screen to monitor media coverage.

Then came the announcement I had not expected. “You have to stop reporting from now,” he said. “You have to leave the country within one week.” The official, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nezar al-Khalifa, added that Reuters had lacked balance in its reporting during the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. The meeting lasted no more than five minutes. A story published earlier this month on disputes between moderates and hardliners within the royal family had, it seemed, crossed a red line.

The authorities said Bahrain was not closing down the Reuters office in Manama and would accredit another foreign correspondent nominated by the agency.

LEAVING

As I prepare to leave, I can barely recognize Bahrain as the country I came to in 2008. It has been transformed by fear. When I arrived, the tiny island, linked to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, was a thriving business and financial center. Its hotels bustled with bankers and executives flown in to discuss investment deals. Few gave much thought to discontent rumbling beneath the surface or any inkling that it would later spark mass popular protests in central Manama. Tens of thousands of people from around the world have converged on the island each year to watch the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, inaugurated in 2004.

Bahrain’s parliament, in which the country’s main Shi’ite opposition group Wefaq held 18 out of 40 seats, had very limited powers. Despite that, it gave the opposition voice of the Shi’ite majority a platform for debates and corruption probes. Activists spoke freely about complaints of discrimination in jobs and services in favor of Sunni Muslims, whose faith was aligned with the ruling family, and with Saudi Arabia. Bahrainis talked to me. But in February, crowds mainly comprised of Shi’ites took to the streets. It would become weeks of protests demanding more freedom, an end to sectarian discrimination and a constitutional monarchy. Some even called for the abolition of the monarchy.

The protests were inspired by revolts that had toppled rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. Manama declared emergency law in March, accused Shi’ite Iran of fomenting unrest and invited in troops from Sunni Arab neighbors, notably from Saudi Arabia. What followed was a sweeping crackdown on Shi’ite villages, opposition activists, media and health workers. The government said it targeted only those who broke the law during protests. But state television enlarged the faces of many who took part in protests — singling them out and frightening off others.

FEAR

At least 29 people, all but six of them Shi’ites, have been killed since the protests started in February. The non-Shi’ites killed included two foreigners and four policemen. …more