Walid Sabry
“Blessed is he whose profession is his pleasure.” Perhaps this was the saying of the people of the press in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as they followed with interest the historic session held by the Shura Council yesterday, headed by the Speaker of the Shura Council, Ali Al-Saleh, where it discussed a draft law amending some provisions of Decree Law No. (47) of 2002 regarding the organization of the press, printing and publishing, accompanying Decree No. (77) of 2021, in the presence of the Minister of Information, Dr. Ramzan. Al Nuaimi, the President of the Bahraini Journalists Association, the editors-in-chief of local newspapers, media figures and journalists, in a clear activation and quick response to what was stated in the royal speech of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the great king of the country, may God protect and preserve him, during the opening of the fourth session of the sixth legislative term, regarding the project.
The extensive discussions that the draft law witnessed over the years came to confirm the extent of the keenness of all parties concerned with it to uphold freedom of thought, opinion and expression in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and for the national press to continue its civilized approach by exercising its pioneering role in supporting the Kingdom and its righteous people, to be always and forever the line of defense of this dear homeland, especially since the draft law included very important points, perhaps the most prominent of which is that it aims to abolish the penalty of imprisonment. From all the punitive texts contained in the draft, in contrast to the current law, and the penalty of a criminal fine is sufficient, as well as regulating electronic media as one of the components of the media system in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which is represented in the activity of providing news, information, or various programs by regulating the mechanism of creating, operating, or managing electronic media sites, which are created, allocated, or granted on the international information network “the Internet” for media purposes and activities.
It was noteworthy what the Rapporteur of the Services Committee in the Shura Council, Member Talal Al-Mannai, said when he pointed out that “the draft law abolished the penalty of imprisonment in order to protect freedom and enhance media responsibility, thus registering a qualitative shift in the philosophy of criminalization and punishment, and through it, it preserves the freedom of the individual and preserves rights without undermining the prestige of the law. The draft law also regulates electronic media in accordance with its nature, as the draft law stated.” To establish a special and flexible regulation for electronic media, keeping pace with its developments, taking into account its privacy, and achieving a balance between freedom and discipline, openness and protection.”
The people of the “profession of looking for trouble,” as they work diligently and diligently in “Her Majesty’s Court,” are mindful of the historical shift that the Bahraini press will witness during the next stage with the adoption of the new press law, and they are always trustworthy in translating that qualitative shift into journalistic and media work if we take into account this distinguished national achievement of the legislative authority in the “Representatives” and “Shura” Councils, from The deadline for approving the new draft law.
These transformations will reflect positively on the outcomes of journalistic and media work in the Kingdom of Bahrain in light of the freedom of opinion, thought and expression that the Kingdom is witnessing under the prosperous era of His Majesty the King, may God protect and preserve him, and under the guidance and close follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, with the need to take into account the importance of keeping pace with the digital transformations that journalism is witnessing around the world, and in In this context, it is necessary to adhere to the Journalism Charter, which pledges to preserve human rights, protect basic freedoms, and emphasize that the word is a trust and a responsibility for which the journalist will be held accountable before God Almighty.
