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Alert

Committee rejects provision in draft law prohibiting imprisonment of journalists

(AAI/IFEX) - On 13 March 2006, the Lower House National Guidance Committee (NGC) rejected a provision in the amended draft Press and Publications Law. The rejected provision would have prohibited the imprisonment of journalists charged with violating several provisions of the law.

Journalists can be imprisoned if they incite sectarian sedition or vilify a religion or God or a prophet (of a monotheist faith) in their publications, or if they commit slander while practicing the profession, according to provision (41) of the draft Press and Publications Law.

The provision against the imprisonment of journalists, which had been introduced by the government, was rejected because, as members of the NGC insisted, ''journalists should not have immunity''.

In an interview with AAI, Head of the NGC Imad Ma'aia said there was unanimous agreement among the committee members that journalists should be imprisoned if they violated the law.

Higher Media Council President Ibrahim Izzedine told AAI that the battle is not over. There will be lobbying to increase awareness of the importance of this provision.

Following its consideration by the NGC, the draft law will be discussed by the Lower House and, if approved by that body, must then be endorsed by the Senate before it is ratified by a Royal decree.