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Alert

ARTICLE 19 recommends amendments to draft broadcasting bill to better protect free expression

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is a 9 March 2007 ARTICLE 19 press release:

ARTICLE 19 Analyses Draft Broadcasting Bill

ARTICLE 19 today released a Note analysing the Broadcasting Bill recently released by the government of the Maldives. While we very much welcome moves to put in place a legal framework for licensing broadcasters, we have some concerns with the draft legislation being proposed. Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director, said:

"It is excellent that the government is finally taking concrete steps to adopt comprehensive broadcasting legislation, something we have been urging for some time. However, the present proposal needs to be substantially amended to ensure that Maldivians can exercise their right to freedom of expression through broadcasting."

ARTICLE 19 has produced a detailed analysis of the draft Broadcasting Bill. Our key recommendations are as follows:

- Regulatory powers should be exercised by the Broadcast Commission rather than by the Minister of Information and Arts.
- The independence of the Broadcast Commission and Board of the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) should be significantly enhanced.
- The content restrictions should be substantially revised and the points system should be abolished. Instead, the Commission should be tasked with developing and applying a code of conduct for broadcasters.
- A clear, fair and transparent system for awarding licences should be added to the legislation and the prohibitions on who may receive a licence should be substantially relaxed.
- The numerous provisions in the draft Bill which grant the Minister or Commission undue power to interfere in the internal operations of broadcasters should be removed.
- In addition to enhancing its independence, the provisions on the NBC should be further developed so as to ensure it can operate as a true public service broadcaster.

We urge the Maldivian authorities to amend the draft law to bring it fully into line with international standards in this area.

Our analysis is available at http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/maldives-broadcasting-analysis.pdf

ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works globally to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.