Local Editor
Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Al Arabiya News network has been fined £120,000 by the British communications regulatory body Ofcom for its unfair depiction of the jailed Bahraini opposition figure Hassan Mushaima.
The allegations relate to a February 2016 segment about Bahrain’s popular uprising, which included an interview with Mushaima.
A complaint later filed on behalf of the prisoner of conscience revealed that the interview took place while he was under threat of torture.
Ofcom concluded that Al Arabiya failed to give Mushaima an opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing, and violated his legitimate expectation of privacy.
“Ofcom’s view that Al Arabiya News was aware, or ought to have been aware, at least by the date of the broadcast (27 February 2016), that the statements being made by Mr Mashaima in the footage filmed in early 2012 may not have accurately or fairly represented his account of events,” the UK’s regulatory body noted.
The Washington-based Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), which filed the complaint, welcomed Ofcom’s decision.
“We welcome Ofcom’s sound judgment in this case as well as its firm sanction,” said ADHRB’s Executive Director Husain Abdulla. “Al Arabiya must immediately remove the video from all platforms and take steps to guarantee this will not happen again.”
Mushaima, 70, served as the secretary-general of the opposition Haq Movement before being sentenced to life in prison over his role in Bahrain’s 2011 uprising. He is a cancer survivor and suffers from multiple health problems including diabetes.
Source: LualuaTV, Edited by Website Team
