KABUL - About 100 journalists and representatives of media organizations from all over Afghanistan discussed the Afghan Media Law at a conference in Kabul today to prepare their consolidated comments on the law before submitting it to the Government of Afghanistan and the Parliament. [Update on 4 July: Afghan Government officials have said the controversial draft media law has been withdrawn] Draft Law Threatens Media Freedom: Human Rights Watch

The one-day conference, supported by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Embassy of Canada, was organized by the media group “Nai - Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan”.

The Ministry of Information and Culture recently amended and redrafted the media law and sought suggestions from various groups and organizations. Media watchdog groups and media personalities have criticized the law for trying to “curtail press freedom” in Afghanistan.

Participants, who split in five different groups, reviewed 54 articles of 11 chapters of the media law and filed their comments.

“The consolidated comments will be put in a draft and shared with the relevant national and international organizations to get their comments for further improvement,” said Siddiqullah Tauhidi, the Head of Advocacy at Nai.

The critics fear greater restrictions and increased government control over the activities of the country’s independent media should the draft is enacted as a law.

Media groups and members of the press are alarmed by several aspects of the proposed law. There is a worry that the proposed composition of two supervisory commissions – the High Commission for Media (HCM) and the Media Violation and Complaints Assessment Commission – could give the government more power to restrict the country’s independent media.

“The heads of National Radio Television and the Bakhtar News Agency, which are the state-controlled media organizations, should not also be the heads of supervisory boards for these institutions as suggested by the amended draft version of the Media Law,” said Siddiquallah Tauhidi.

Another concern is over the vagueness of a new chapter that has been inserted into the proposed law about media violation of security, religion and morality values. Critics say it would be better for Afghanistan to first establish a clear defamation law, which explains the violations clearly, otherwise the government can use it as a tool to suppress the independence of media in the country.

One more concern relates to the proposed establishment of a special prosecutor and a special court that would monitor the media. “Special prosecutors and special courts do not have a good reputation in Afghanistan,” said Mujeeb Khilwatgar, the executive director of the Nai Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan.

Mr Khilwatgar said the current draft will greatly decrease the ability of the media to carry out its role of reporting news and informing the society.

Critics also question the lack of explanation in the Law about cinema, weblogs and websites.

According to the government, these fears are “unfounded”. The Ministry of Information and Culture said the amendments have been proposed so that media institutions can even have “more freedom”.

“In view of the needs, we expanded the draft law from 54 articles to 110. When the amendment in a law becomes more than 50 percent, it is no longer amendment and becomes a new draft,” said Nazeerzoi, an official at the Ministry of Information and Culture.

By UNAMA Kabul