A Citizens for Bahrain analysis of the 2014 “Freedom in the World” report; 26 January
Reforms are increasing freedoms for citizens
Constitutional amendments have empowered elected MPs. Reforms of the justice and security sector including an independent ombudsman for investigating torture and abuse claims protect citizens; and a host of other reforms are in progress.
Fundamental freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution and both the King and Crown Prince have strong reputations as forward-thinking reformists.
Freedom House is wrong to ignore this progress and indicate that Bahrain is travelling in a “downward” direction. The tone of the report suggests overly sympathetic attention being given to the opposition’s narrative.
The report does not take standard of living into consideration
Despite having dismal standards of living, countries like Iran and Libya have received higher “Freedom” ratings than Bahrain. Although Bahrain lacks an elected head of state the welfare provided by the state to all citizens, including dissidents, gives citizens greater freedom for shaping their futures and arguably outweighs the need for an elected leader at this stage in Bahrain’s democratic development.
Bahrain is the most progressive country in the region for women
The proportion of women in work is higher than in many neighbouring states and women occupy some of the highest positions in government, business and society.
No score breakdowns for each country
Freedom House scores each country without providing an individual breakdown of their assessment. Their methodology section details every question used to assess each country’s “freedom” rating. However they do not provide a breakdown of the answers used for each country’s score.
Bahrain is the most welcoming country for religious minorities
Bahrain may be very small, but it has given generous space for building Synagogues, Churches & temples. Although there are no authoritative statistics, around half those living in Bahrain are non-Muslim, and rigourous laws ensure that everybody’s religious rights and freedoms are protected.
Freedom House is wrong to score religiously tolerant Bahrain behind religiously intolerant states like Iran, Yemen and Iraq; or states like Egypt where numerous Coptic Christians are murdered each year.
Methodological inconsistencies
Most “Arab Spring” countries, which underwent revolutions, have by default received a higher “Freedom” score; regardless of whether post-revolutionary democratic conditions have actually improved. Countries with artificial and unrepresentative elections earn higher scores simply because they satisfy the report’s assessment criteria.
Foreign policy blog Global Dashboard states “Freedom House scores are largely used due to a lack of alternatives. The organization’s ‘Freedom in the World’ surveys have been criticized for using arbitrary classifications, and critics argue their approach is too narrow.” Others have accused Freedom House of being a vehicle for left-wing US politics.
Bahrain’s media is getting freer
Media laws are being introduced to protect journalists exercising their freedom of expression. The social media is an open forum for debate. New measures are being introduced to combat hate speech and sectarian incitement. Opposition-affiliated media outlets like Al-Wasat newspaper operate openly.
Bahrain is healing sectarian tensions
After three years of political unrest Bahrain’s Crown Prince has taken the initiative for engaging the opposition and other political groups in the National Dialogue process. Numerous initiatives are underway for encouraging reconciliation
Freedom House’s report is wrong and inflammatory when it states that the Government “continues to harass” the Shia population.
Grievances are being addressed
98% of workers who lost their jobs in the unrest have been reinstated. The Government has embarked on massive schemes for building thousands of homes to address a key grievance of many poorer families. All Bahrainis have access to free education, free healthcare; and many are given assistance in free housing and higher education.