Manama : The Head of the Cybercrime Prosecution announced that the Lower Criminal Court has sentenced a woman to one month’s imprisonment and ordered the confiscation of her mobile phone after finding her guilty of publicly insulting a recognised religious community and disparaging its religious practices.
The case followed a report from the Cybercrime Directorate, which identified an Instagram comment containing sectarian language deemed likely to incite division during its routine monitoring of social media platforms. Investigations subsequently identified the owner of the account.
The Public Prosecution promptly opened an investigation, during which the defendant admitted that the account belonged to her and that she had posted the comment. She was then remanded in custody and referred to the Lower Criminal Court, which convicted her and imposed the sentence.
The Public Prosecution affirmed that while freedom of opinion and expression is protected by law, it must be exercised within legal limits and must not infringe the rights of others, offend any religious community or segment of society, or threaten public order. It stressed that breaches of these limits constitute criminal offences punishable by law, including imprisonment.
