Al Wasat lays off staff citing financial woes

Manama : A local Arabic daily started sacking its staff three weeks after it was suspended by the authorities, reports said yesterday. 

Al Wasat, according to reports, has terminated some of its 160 staff including 39 expats, citing financial issues. 

According to a report published by AFP, board chairman Adel al-Maskati wrote in a message addressed to “all staff” on Saturday: “We regret to inform you that the board of directors... has decided to terminate the employment contracts with the employees.”

Quoting Al Maskati, the report also said that the measures were taken as the paper had “caused losses” to its owner, Dar Al-Wasat for Publishing and Distribution.

DT News reported earlier this month that the ministry had lodged a complaint to the Public Prosecution against the newspaper two weeks after it (the ministry) suspended the paper citing “illegal practices”.

The newspaper was suspended on June 4 by the Information Affairs Ministry for its “violation of the law and repeatedly publishing information that sows division in society and affects Bahrain’s relations with other states.”

The decision came a day after a columnist in the paper criticised the political conditions in Morocco through his column.

“The newspaper published a column on page 19 of yesterday’s edition that defamed our sisterly Arab country,” a ministry statement said back then.

Authorities suspended the online edition of Al-Wasat for several days in January over accusations of sowing sedition and harming national unity.

The newspaper was also suspended for two days in August 2015 on similar charges.