BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament should ensure that a draft media law it is considering upholds the right to freedom of expression, 14 Lebanese and international rights organizations urged on Tuesday.
This includes decriminalizing defamation, blasphemy, insult and criticism of public officials; prohibiting pretrial detention in speech-related violations; and removing onerous restrictions on the establishment of media outlets.
The calls come as the parliament’s Administration and Justice Committee is set to resume its discussion of the draft law on Tuesday.
On Aug. 31, members of parliament received proposed amendments to the draft law’s text, which, organizations said, included reintroducing pretrial detention and provisions that criminalize insult and defamation.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders, warned the suggested amendments would further restrict the work of media organizations that are subject to a legal complaint by prohibiting them from publishing materials about the complainant while judicial proceedings are ongoing.
