18/07/2011
Bahrain Opposition Launch TV Channel Amid Interference
A new TV channel run by Bahraini opposition activists in the UK has faced broadcast difficulties due to outside interference.
Lualua TV launched yesterday and after just five hours on air was the victim of jamming from an unknown source. The current affairs channel derives its name from the Pearl roundabout in Manama, the focal point of the recent wave of democracy protests.
The station broadcasts in Arabic and is aimed at members of the opposition inside the gulf state, via the satellite service Hotbird. On going live the channel featured an interview with a prominent Bahraini politician, engaged in the current reconciliation talks with the government.
The source of the attack on the station is not yet known and an investigation is on going. The Bahrain Government has frequently attacked the freedom of the media inside Bahrain, forcing those who wish to criticise the government to do so abroad. However, even those broadcasting their criticisms from outside of Bahrain are facing complications, as exemplified by Lualua TV.
Reporters Without Borders, a free speech campaign group has described widely the harassment of journalists in Bahrain. Last month, the group reported that the Facebook and Twitter pages of Rasad News, a source of news about human rights violations, had been taken over by regime officials.
Yasser Al Sayegh, Director of Lualua TV, said:
“We are very pleased that the channel has launched but are deeply concerned at this outside interference. We have repeatedly tried to set up this station inside Bahrain but were always denied by the authorities. This is why we were forced to move abroad to gain our right to free speech. We are carrying out an investigation to discover the source of this jamming and will announce our results.”
Contact:
Dominic Kavakeb – 00447545965302 / [email protected]
Yasser Al Sayegh – 00447909 981873