Manama: Bahraini authorities have banned
Al-Jazeera television, based in the adjacent state of Qatar,
from operating in the kingdom for "violating" professional
norms, the state BNA news agency said on Wednesday.
The ministry of culture and information "has decided to
temporarily freeze the operations of the office of the Qatari
satellite channel Al-Jazeera," BNA said quoting a ministry
statement issued late yesterday.
It said the measure was in response to Al-Jazeera`s
"violation of professional norms and not abiding by the laws
and rules that regulate press and publishing."
The ministry did not elaborate on the violations that
triggered the ban.
A statement from Al-Jazeera condemned the ban, which it
said it had not been formally notified of. It added that it
did not have a bureau in Bahrain.
"Al-Jazeera is sorry to hear of such decision," it said,
adding that Bahraini authorities had also banned a team from
its Al-Jazeera English channel from entering Manama yesterday
for an interview with a UN official.
PTI
