Bahrain Regime shuts eyes and siliences words to ready its new campaign of violence

Journalist arrested, another believed to be held in Bahrain
1 August, 2013 – Committee to Protect Jornalists

New York, August 1, 2013–A Bahraini blogger has been detained and a photographer is missing amid signs that Bahraini authorities are trying to crack down on critical voices ahead of protests planned for August 14, according to news reports.

“Bahraini authorities have a record of suppressing critical news and commentary, which has had the effect of obscuring the extent of the country’s unrest from the rest of the world,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Sherif Mansour.

Masked security agents arrested blogger Mohamed Hassan at his home in Sitra early on Wednesday, news reports said. The agents confiscated Hassan’s computer and cell phone, the reports said. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights told CPJ that authorities have denied having Hassan in custody at the Dry Dock Detention Center in the town of Hidd, where the family believes he is being held. Authorities have not disclosed the charges against him.

Authorities have harassed and detained Hassan several times since early 2012. Hassan, who often covered human rights and politics in Bahrain for his blog, Safybh, was previously summoned for interrogation in June 2012 in connection with his writing and involvement in the Bahraini opposition, according to the Bahraini Center for Human Rights. He stopped writing his blog on April 29, 2013. He has also worked as a fixer for news organizations.

Another journalist, Hussein Hubail, a freelance photographer who is also Hassan’s friend, has been reported missing, according to news reports. The accounts said the journalist had not been heard from since he sent a message on Wednesday that said he believed police were going to arrest him while at the airport. …more