Al Wasat shutdown for the third time

Manama : A local newspaper was yesterday shutdown for the third time in almost two years for violating Information Affairs Ministry rules and regulations.

“Information Affairs Ministry suspended Al Wasat newspaper until further notice following its recurrent violation of the law and spreading what would stir divisions within the community and undermine the Kingdom of Bahrain’s relations with other countries,” a statement issued by the ministry yesterday read.

The ministry explained that the newspaper published a column on page 19 of Sunday’s edition that inflicted defamation of a sisterly Arab country.This is the third time Al Wasat gets suspended by the ministry for similar reasons since 2015.

The online version of the Arabic daily was suspended last January for publishing material that harms national unity. In August 2015, the newspaper was suspended due to its violation of the law and repeated dissemination of information that affects national unity and the Kingdom’s relationship with other countries.