Bahrain says it's a target of smear campaign

MANAMA, Bahrain, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Bahrain's reputation on the international stage has been tarnished by reporting from a hostile media, the government's spokeswoman said Thursday.

Bahraini spokeswoman Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab said the government won't be "handcuffed" by a hostile media campaign, the official Bahrain News Agency reports.

The Persian Gulf kingdom was the subject of frequent travel warnings from a British government concerned about the possibility of violent protests in the country. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said last week the arrest of opposition leader Khalil al-Marzooq on terrorism charges suggested Bahrain wasn't serious about reform.

Dozens of people were killed during an uprising in 2011. Bahrain said it is committed to reforms outlined by an independent commission probing the government's response to the protests.

Rajab said the official news agency was tasked with countering misleading campaigns in the international media.

Bahraini Ambassador to the United States Houda Nonoo said Wednesday she was frustrated U.S. President Barack Obama compared her country to Syria during his speech before the U.N. General Assembly this week.

"Bahrain has provided unparalleled opportunities to its citizens regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion," she said in a statement. "This is not a well-worn public relations cliche, but the reality that thousands of Bahrainis live every day."