The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the
escalation of violence against media in Bahrain after photographer Mohammed Almoukhraq
was assaulted by security forces while covering anti-government protests in the
capital, Manama on Sunday. Last night, the Al-Wasat newspaper headquarters were also attacked.
"These incidents illustrate a crisis
for media and democracy in Bahrain," said IFJ President, Jim Boumelha. "The
government must give guarantees that journalists will be able to operate freely
and safely despite the Declaration of a State of Emergency."
According to Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA), an IFJ affiliate,
photographer Almoukhraq was set upon on Sunday by security forces and
plainclothes officers who beat him up and broke his camera and mobile phone.
In a separate incident, the headquarters of the Al-Wasat newspaper in Manama came under attack last night by
unknown assailants.
The BJA
condemned the assault on Almoukhraq and the attack on offices of Al -Wasat newspaper and demanded a
thorough investigation into these incidents to hold perpetrators accountable.
In a statement, the BJA leadership called on "all stakeholders to allow the press to perform
its mission."
The IFJ backs the BJA demands and says the Government of Bahrain has the
primary responsibility to protect journalists who are covering an increasingly
violent situation.
"We call on the authorities to order security forces to stop attacking
journalists and to protect all media professionals from violent groups," added
Boumelha. "Journalists must not be targeted and media must not be made scapegoats
for this political crisis."
For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 07
The IFJ represents more than
600.000 members in 125 countries