Advocacy group Dawn criticise censorship in Bahrain, Qatar during war

The advocacy group Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) called on Qatar and Bahrain to "immediately release" those arrested for peaceful expressions related to the ongoing war in the region. 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dawn's advocacy director, Raed Jarrar, urged their release and for the dropping of all charges on dissenting voices. 

"Sharing information or challenging their government's policies, including their ties to the US or Israel as they wage an unlawful war of aggression, should never be grounds for arrest," he added. 

Omar Shakir, the group's executive director, said that "freedom of expression does not disappear when the bombs start falling".

"Wartime is precisely when people most need to speak freely to share information, question decision-making, express dissent, and hold authorities to account."

The latest remarks from Dawn come amid reports by human rights defenders of at least 100 people being arrested in Bahrain due to protesting or expressing views on the war.

This includes seeking the death penalty against some activists.

In Qatar, the Ministry of Interior has said that it has arrested over 300 people on charges of spreading "misleading information", including at least one person arrested for "direct insults to the State of Qatar and its institutions".