Al Jazeera spreading lies, trying to widen the rift in the Gulf, say Parliamentarians

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Parliamentarians condemned in strongest terms yesterday the deliberate and repeated lies broadcast by Qatari channel Al Jazeera about the rights situation in Bahrain.

The channel is churning out false and misleading stories based on incorrect information from parties who have no intentions other than to harm the democratic process here, the MPs said.

Parliamentarians also backed the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Interior headed by Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa in caring for the inmates of the Reform and Rehabilitation centres.

Sowing discontent: Al Sisi

Rejecting the allegations, Mohammed Al-Sisi Al-Buainain, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee at the Council of Representatives, said they are conducting periodic reviews of the centres to ensuring the rights of the inmates guaranteed to them by the constitution. “We are ensuring their right to food, treatment, physical activities and visits by family members,” he said.

He added: “Besides, the National Institution for Human Rights, the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission, the General Secretariat for Complaints and others are also exercising similar oversight role to enhance their rights.” Al Sisi said the committee rejects all attempts to target national unity by sowing discontent amongst the families of the inmates and detainees.

Al Jazeera Channel, he said, is deliberately ignoring the modern laws, alternative penalty and open prison systems in force here. MP Ammar Ahmed Al-Bannai, Chairman of the Permanent Quality Committee for Human Rights and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Security, said the channel failed in its attempts to distort and obscure the achievement of Bahrain.

The Qatari channel is trying to exploit the feelings of the families by misleading them. He said that these campaigns would not come to fruition or affect the human rights march. Al-Bannai called on the Qatari regime to pay attention to its human rights conditions, especially prisons in Doha, and violations against Qatari families and foreign workers.

Hostility to Kingdom: Al Ansari

Representative Ahmed Al-Ansari said the offensive programmes and reports are a deliberate attempt to harm Bahrain and its progress. He voiced total rejection of the miserable attempts to sabotage the security and stability of the Kingdom. “Not only Bahrain, but the global audience is well aware of the lies the Jazeera spreads,” he said, stressing that the Kingdom will continue its advanced and modern approach to strengthen the rights situation. MP Ahmed Sabah Al-Salloum said the continuous targeting by Al-Jazeera confirms its hostility to the Kingdom.

“The miserable attempts to harm the gains of Bahrain, especially in the human rights field, must be addressed firmly.” “Hope was that Qatar would work to correct its course, especially in media, but the hostile approach confirms things are seldom changed.” Expressing commitment to the principles of good neighbourliness, he called on Qatar to first deal with its rights record, which is marred by flagrant violations, before insulting the Kingdom and interfere in its internal affairs.

Systematic targeting: Al Kooheji

MP Hamad Al-Kooheji said the systematic targeting of Bahrain and its people fail to address the principles of good neighbourliness or the Al-Ula summit deal.

He said Qatar should look at itself before talking about the humanitarian situation in Bahrain, pointing to difficulties faced by foreign workers in Qatar, in addition to its links with terrorist entities and withdrawal of nationalities of Qatari citizens.

Doomed to fail: Al Maliki

MP Bassem Al-Maliki said the Qatari approach is inconsistent with all International and Gulf norms, good neighbourliness, and the kinship linking the peoples of Bahrain and Qatar.

He urged Bahraini citizens to reject these abuses and deliberate distortions of the civilizational march, saying that all attempts to split the ranks and national unity are doomed to failure.

Stark lies: Al Dossari

Issa Al-Dossari, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security, said these allegations are nothing but lies, which also confirms its role in deepening the crises between the Gulf states.

“They are trying to increase discrimination by sowing unrest and crises with the terrorist agenda the channel has been practising intensively, especially after the signing of the AlUla agreement,” Al-Dossari affirmed keenness to promote the rights of all citizens, especially inmates and detainees, by providing a humane and healthy environment commensurate with the current health conditions.

“Human Rights Watch, which closely monitored the situation of inmates and followed up all the allegations, confirmed that the Al-Jazeera channel intentionally ignored the real humanitarian and rights status of Bahrain, which is now on par with international standards,” he added.