This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Bahrain has denied entry to a number of journalists from news organisations including Sky, which holds the UK TV rights to broadcast this weekend's controversial Formula One grand prix from the Gulf state, as the regime attempts to stifle coverage of political protests.

Bahrain's authorities have granted permission for journalists who regularly cover Formula One to enter the country but have denied visas to other reporters from news organisations including Sky News, CNN, Reuters and the Financial Times.

Journalists who have been refused entry include Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent at Sky News, who is being forced to file coverage from Dubai.

"Govt refuses to explain why I can't come in," Ramsay said on Twitter. "Govt welcomes f1 but not independent journalists who actually understand the complexity of this issue."

Ramsay expressed his frustration in another tweet. "Lots of confusion sky tv is big sky news and sky sports and sky movies are all different I am news and all govts know this," he said. "We are excluded without redress but have asked to represent all sides."

He has been prevented from entering Bahrain despite Sky Sports, like Sky News owned by BSkyB, providing exclusive live TV coverage of Sunday's controversial Grand Prix to UK viewers. Sky Sports signed a seven-year deal to broadcast live TV coverage of every Formula One race from this season.

The broadcaster is sharing live TV coverage of half the F1 races each year with the BBC, which has scheduled Bahrain grand prix highlights for Sunday afternoon.

BSkyB faced criticism in March in relation to its Formula One coverage after Jeremy Darroch, its chief executive, stepped in to force a sensitive Sky News online story that broke during the first grand prix of the 2012 season in Australia to be temporarily taken down and changed, after racing teams complained to Sky Sports production staff.

Bahrain's information ministry said that non-sports journalists who had been denied entry were welcome to come after the grand prix was over and denied that it had a policy of excluding organisations such as Sky News.

"We have also invited non-sports-related journalists who were unable to get a visa for this week to apply to come after the race," the ministry said. "It should be noted, however, that journalists from AP, AFP and Sky News all have teams here who are covering sporting and non-sporting events as is shown by their coverage."

However, a Sky News spokeswoman denied that this was the case. "Sky News applied for a Bahrain visa to report on the political situation in the country ahead of the grand prix this weekend. Despite repeated appeals that application has been denied. We continue to cover the story from Dubai."

CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen was initially granted entry to Bahrain earlier this week, along with a camera operator and field producer, and managed to file reports on the protests.

However, when Pleitgen applied to have his initial three-day visa extended over the weekend it was rejected and he will be filing reports from Abu Dhabi during the grand prix weekend.

Bahrain granted entry to a Reuters correspondent who covers the Formula One season but Andrew Hammond, a news correspondent with the agency, has not yet been told if his visa has been granted.

A spokeswoman for Reuters said that authorities had not given Hammond permission to enter as of Friday afternoon.

Thomson Reuters, the New York-based parent company of the Reuters news agency, is a sponsor of the Williams Formula One team.

Financial Times Gulf business correspondent Simeon Kerr was also denied entry to the country when he landed. "Back in Dubai after #Bahrain refused #F1 entry at airport," he tweeted. "Shame to have to cover this vital #F1 weekend at a distance."

Bahrain's information ministry said: "The fact is that over 200 journalists from various media outlets have come in to cover the grand prix weekend. Even though much of their coverage will be on the race itself, we always knew and expected coverage of events in Bahrain as part of the context of the F1 being held."

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