Bahrain Mirror: Bahrain decided to close down Al-Ittihad channel that has been airing from Bahrain since 2012, using the Bahraini Information Affairs Authority's studios.

Journalist Saeed Al-Hamad who presents one of Al-Ittihad shows, stated: "Since we didn't present anything new in our channel for a long time, we decided to stop our broadcast and stop our subscription to the satellite. We have nothing to do with what is going to be aired instead of it."

Al-Ittihad channel was launched in June 2012, with a license from government authorities, broadcasting from the information affairs authority buildings and using its resources.

This closure comes nearly two months after Al-Arab channel, owned by Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, was shut down.

Al-Ittihad channel focused on broadcasting a show "with Saeed Al-Hamad" as a continuation to a series of episodes that incite hatred and that were aired on the Bahraini official television during the State of National Safety until it was canceled in June 2011, so that the government would distance itself from any responsibility.

This step came after the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report declared that the Bahraini official television uses degrading and provoking language in some of its shows. Al-Hamad, who is one of the regime advocates, adopts the approach of defaming opposition activists and harming their reputation.

Al-Hamad has previously presented episodes of this same show on the Saudi Safa Channel. Calls have been raised demanding that it be shut down since the channel forms an incubator of Takfiri campaigns.

بما أننا لم نقدم جديدا في قناتنا الاتحاد لفترة طويلة فقد قررنا ايقاف بثنا وايقاف اشتراكنا في القمر الصناعي ولاعلافة لنا بماسوف يبث مكانها.

— سعيد الحمد (@Saeed_AlHamad) May 30, 2015

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