Bahrain set to criminalise online slander, jail and BD20,000 fine proposed
Motion yet to be approved by the kingdom’s legislature
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Cairo: A committee in the Bahraini parliament has approved a draft bill criminalising slander and defaming people on social media, a local newspaper reported.
The draft endorsed by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security proposes tough penalties in libel cases, according to Bahraini newspaper Al Watan.
According to the panel’s recommendation, acts of online slander and defamation should be punishable by jailing and a maximum fine of BD20,000.
The bill will introduce a new addition to Bahrain’s law No 60 issued in 2014 about information technology offences.
The motion has yet to be approved by the kingdom’s legislature.