Lebanese Kataeb Party: Enactment of the Media Law Is a Necessary Step, and We Demand Amendments to Its Loopholes

Noted the media apparatus of the Lebanese Kataeb Party on the approval of the new media law by the Parliament, considering it a long-awaited step to update the legislation governing the sector and keep pace with developments in media, especially digital media, but urges amendments to the two provisions that allow imprisoning journalists.

The Kataeb media apparatus believes this achievement is incomplete due to the lack of several amendments that would strengthen journalists' rights and those working in the sector, enhance safeguards for media freedom, and address loopholes to prevent chaos and overreach while ensuring clear regulation of the profession.

The apparatus emphasizes that media legislation must balance protecting press freedom with regulating the sector, safeguarding the journalist’s right to practice their profession independently and responsibly, while simultaneously establishing clear rules to prevent disorder.

It calls on the Council of Ministers to swiftly draft an amending bill and submit it to Parliament to close the gaps in the enacted law and implement necessary changes that protect journalists, reinforce media freedom, and regulate the sector in line with the needs of a modern state.

The Kataeb media apparatus stresses that what is required is not blocking the law, but completing and correcting its shortcomings, so it becomes a modern legal framework that protects freedoms, regulates the profession, and strengthens the media’s role in democratic life.

Lebanon, which has taken a firm step by abolishing the death penalty and solidifying its position among nations defending human rights, cannot afford steps that undermine its standing in the human rights and media freedoms record; thus, amendments are urgently needed without delay.