Bahrain Mirror: The US State Department report about human rights in the world said that the Bahraini government limited freedom of speech and press through active prosecution of individuals under national security laws that targeted journalists to limit speech in print and social media.

The report stated that there were 32 cases of "inciting hatred against a religious sect" and 1,017 cases of misuse of a telecommunications device. Among the prominent victims of these charges were Nabeel Rajab, Faisal Hayyat and Nazeha Saeed, besides Al-Wasat newspaper that was shut down after accusing it of abusing a sisterly state.

The Bahraini government also imposed, according to the US State Department report, restrictions on academic and cultural events. Some academics engaged in self-censorship, avoiding discussion of contentious political issues.

Arabic Version