WSJ on BahrainOnline
Wednesday, May 11, 2005Ali Abdulemam and BahrainOnline.org are the subject of an article on page A1 of today's Wall Street Journal.
Democracy Project in Bahrain Falters
MANAMA, Bahrain -- Ali Abdulemam, a young Islamic activist and founder of a popular Arabic-language Web site, made a bold decision three years ago. He started using his real name online.
He shed his pseudonym after a spurt of political change in this Gulf kingdom touted by President Bush as a model for the Arab world. The government emptied prisons of political prisoners, held elections and let hundreds return from exile abroad. "I believed you could speak and not go to jail," says the 27-year-old computer engineer, who combines his Web work with a day job at an American technology-consulting company.
In late February, amid boisterous debate about democracy following elections in Iraq, Mr. Abdulemam was thrown in prison, accused of fomenting hatred of the government and other charges.
Our Free Ali blog also gets a mention:
Before the government announced the arrests, news spread online. A crowd of protesters gathered outside a detention center where the three were held. In early March, al-Jazeera broadcast footage of Mr. Abdulemam in handcuffs. Fellow bloggers set up a FreeAli Web site. The Committee to Protect Journalists in New York and other groups protested. The U.S. ambassador to Bahrain privately queried the Information Minister about the arrests but didn't comment in public.
Read the full article (WSJ subscription required). Thanks to Praktike for the heads up.
Read my previous posts about the BahrainOnline arrests
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 5/11/2005 06:46:00 pm. Permalink
5/11/2005 10:45:00 pm
Good one, and in one of the biggest American newspapers too! I think it is fair and highlights the main points.
I have a full copy of the article I can email if anyone wants it.