Dubai: A Bahraini court Thursday slapped a journalist with a fine of 1,000 dinars ($2650, 2360 euros) for working with foreign media without a permit, a court official said.
France 24 reporter Nazeeha Saeed was found guilty of continuing to work despite the fact her authorisation had expired and not been renewed, the official said.
Saeed, who also works for pan-Arab radio station Monte Carlo Doualiya, had been on trial since January 16.
France Medias Monde, which owns both outlets, had asked the authorities to let her work “legally”, as she has done for 12 years.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had urged authorities to drop the charges and allow Saeed to “exercise her profession freely”.
In October 2012, a Bahraini court acquitted a female police officer accused by Saeed of torturing her while she was held briefly in custody.
Saeed has drawn the ire of authorities over her coverage of a 2011 protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister.
Home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, the Sunni-ruled kingdom of Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since authorities backed by Saudi military forces crushed the Shiite-led protests.
Agence France-Presse