Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has recently revealed that it uncovered social media posts that have shown systematic attempts to compromise the Kingdom’s national interests by influencing public opinion on various issues, including naturalisation, to damage the close and special Bahraini-Saudi relations.
According to reports, the social media posts were aimed to hit the economy by circulating false information through fake accounts run from Qatar and by wanted fugitives facing justice.
The Ministry of Interior clarified that such accounts tend to instigate disturbances and sedition and incite hatred, in an attempt to undermine Bahrain’s social fabric and jeopardise the upcoming parliamentary elections by negatively focusing on a number of issues, including the new pension scheme, to negatively swing the public opinion and distort the Bahraini identity to project it as having negative characteristics.
A statement released by the Bahrain News Agency, BNA, said, ”In general, these threats constitute a purposeful assault against the citizens although they are immune to the risks. Citizens have proven throughout history their firm stand on national values thanks to their awareness and sincere determination to foil all attempts targeting security and social peace.”
Therefore, the Ministry of Interior with a view to inform the public about the latest developments and out of its legal responsibility to maintain security and order, continues through the General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security to monitor the social media accounts that violate the law and harm civil peace and the social fabric.
”Legal action has also been taken in this regard,” the statement added.
The Ministry of Interior affirmed the constitutional principles that protect the citizens’ rights, especially their freedom of expression, and urged them to follow the laws relating to such rights and ensure that the information they circulate is credible by obtaining it from official sources. They should not post malicious rumours that go against security and civil peace.
The Ministry of Interior called upon the public to be cautious and avoid recirculating false reports, as the current stage requires joint efforts, unity, an awareness to protect the nation’s supreme interests, and civil peace as the strengthening of national unity is the responsibility of all.
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