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Journalists 'banned' in MEW office |
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Thursday, 24 June 2010 16:19 |
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KUWAIT: Journalists have been banned from entering the Ministry of Electricity and Water's (MEW) headquarters building at the directions of minister Dr Bader Al-Shuraian.
The measure, which is believed to directly contravene Kuwait's press freedom legislation, has been widely condemned, with many suggesting that it will seriously affect media efforts to cover the country's continuing power crisis.
According to the minister's orders, media personnel can now only obtain information on events within the ministry via the press releases and other prepared material issued by its public relations department. It has also been reported that Dr Al-Shuraian's media consultant Ahmad Al-Dakeel is only giving this limited access to journalists from two local papers.
The draconian new measures have raised suspicions that the minister is attempting to prevent news of certain incidents from being made public, reported Annahar. Local newspapers have already expressed displeasure at the move, insisting that the minister does not have the authority to impede journalists' activities in this way. - Kuwait Times
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