6 December 2006

NEW MEDIA LAW FAILS TO PROTECT PRESS FREEDOM


Media coverage of the 2007 elections in Angola will be compromised unless the government brings its press law up to international free expression standards, warns Human Rights Watch.

In a report, the organisation says a new press law passed in May 2006 will not provide adequate protection for media to report freely in the run-up to the elections. The elections will be the first time in 15 years that citizens in the war-ravaged country will be going to the polls.

While the law marks an improvement over previous legislation governing the media, it still contains provisions that undermine press freedom, says Human Rights Watch. Although it abolishes the state monopoly over television broadcasting and calls for the creation of a public broadcaster, it sets out licensing procedures for private broadcasting that are too bureaucratic and largely subject to the discretion of government officials.
The law vaguely defines criminal conduct by media professionals and establishes excessive penalties for such crimes. In addition, defamation remains a criminal offence.
Several provisions of the law are formulated in general terms and cannot be entered into force until implementing laws and regulations are passed, notes Human Rights Watch. Until these other laws are passed, private media will not be able to apply for television and radio broadcasting licenses. It will also delay the establishment of the National Council on Media Communication, an independent body charged with monitoring and safeguarding press freedom.

ARTICLE 19 has also voiced concerns about the press law. It has urged the Angolan government to pass regulations granting the National Electoral Commission powers to oversee complaints about media coverage during the elections.

Visit these links:

- Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/angola1106/
- ARTICLE 19: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/angola-elections-1st-update.pdf
- IFEX Alerts on Angola: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/66/
- Media Institute of Southern Africa: http://www.misa.org/portuguese/misaang.html
- Freedom House: http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=251&year=2006


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Also from the Communiqué, 6 December 2006

FIJI: COUP LEADERS SEIZE CONTROL OF MEDIA 6 December 2006 HONDURAS: CONGRESS APPROVES ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW 6 December 2006 NIGERIA: PRESIDENT URGED TO SIGN ACCESS TO INFORMATION BILL 6 December 2006 TUNISIA: JOURNALISTS, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HARASSED 6 December 2006 MEXICO: MISSING JOURNALIST FOUND SLAIN 6 December 2006 LIBERIA: LIBERIAN GROUP WORKS TO IMPROVE JOURNALISM STANDARDS 6 December 2006 INTERNATIONAL: AMARC CONFERENCE EMBOLDENS COMMUNITY RADIO MOVEMENT 6 December 2006 INTERNATIONAL: KNIGHT FOUNDATION OFFERS GRANTS FOR NEW MEDIA PROJECTS 6 December 2006

Angola

Police, security agents injure at least 14 demonstrators 7 December 2011 Armed men threaten journalist in Cabinda 1 November 2011 Journalist fined and given one-year suspended prison sentence 13 October 2011 Human Rights Watch calls on authorities to release unfairly convicted demonstrators 14 September 2011 Journalists beaten, equipment seized 9 September 2011 See all alerts: Angola


Southern Africa

MALAWI: New report highlights ongoing press freedom challenges, says MISA 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Foreign newspapers to be banned 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Charges against MMPZ staffers reduced 26 January 2012 NAMIBIA: Newspaper faces defamation charges 25 January 2012 ZIMBABWE: Detained MMPZ staff freed on bail; journalist questioned 22 December 2011


 
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