Libya sets up Press Reform Committee
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Prime Minister, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, has announced the setting up of a Press Reform Committee, following the recent dissolution of the Libyan Media Authority, a government institution overseeing 10 media organizations.
According to Al-Dbaiba, the decision to set up the Committee was taken by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
Under the new arrangement, government will transfer the control of a number of Television and radio organizations to various ministries and other state institutions.
The decree establishing the Media Reform Committee stipulates that it is placed under the supervision of the ministry of Communications and Political Affairs.
The committee will be headed by Abderrazzak Massoud Ahmed Al-Dahech, with Jalal Mohamed Abou Gassem Othman, Fathi Mohamed Ali Omaima, Attia Hussein Mohamed Bani, Mounir Muftah Mohamed Mhamed, Mohamed Ali Abdessalam Al-Asfar, Salima Omar Ben Nezha Issa, Ali Omar Ramadan Jaber, Farida Omar Tarebchan, and Eid Mohamed Abdellatif Al-Achibi as members.
The Committee's tasks include "developing the necessary proposals and perceptions to implement what was indicated in the circular of the Prime Minister, which includes demands from journalists and civil society organisations regarding the reform and development of the media in Libya.
The Committee will be empowered to engage in an in-depth dialogue with all persons interested in the media field and civil society organisations to introduce necessary reform measures for the media sector, according to the decree.
It specifies that it must submit a report on the results of its work to be presented to the Prime Minister.
In a manifesto published on 3 May on the occasion of International Press Freedom Day, the Libyan government committed to the freedom of expression, the use of violence against them, as well as the obligation to protect them in the exercise of their duties.
The government said criticism of government performances is "an inherent right of all Libyans, in accordance with the Constitutional Declaration and international charters, regulated by the relevant laws in force".
Libya is ranked 165th out of 180 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RFS) press freedom index.
In the decade since the 17 February 2011 revolution, the political situation in Libya has remained unstable, with journalists and the media paying a heavy price with "numerous cases of censorship, violence and intimidation", according to RFS, which deplores media censorship by the parties involved in the conflict".
-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/VAO 18June2021
