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Manama: Reporters Without Borders on Thusday hailed the government-sponsored draft to amend the press law in Bahrain, but stressed that the audio-visual landscape also needed attention.
In a letter to the information minister posted by BNA, the official news agency, the Paris-based media watchdog said that it regarded the draft as "deep commitment to free and responsible press and a concretisation of pledges made to enhance freedom of expression."
"We now hope that your initiative will be quickly and decisively supported by the parliament," Robert MÃnard, its secretary-general, said. "We are confident that the liberalisation of the audio-visual market and the setting up of a professional structure remain high on your agenda," he said.
A fact-finding mission from Reporters Without Borders visited Bahrain in February months after drafting a strong report against the status of the press in the Gulf country and agreed to offer assistance to the local authorities to help upgrade the media laws.
It called for the liberalisation of the audio-visual sector controlled by the government and protested against the ministry's blocking of websites, saying that it should be left to courts of law.
On Sunday, the cabinet presented a new press law that scrapped prison terms for journalists, a long-standing demand by journalists. However, the draft will have to be approved by the bi-cameral parliament before it is enacted.
Journalists are concerned that the Islamist-dominated lower house would not endorse the draft after several MPs said that they would not support special privileges to the press to attack people or to wade into taboo subjects, mainly religious issues.
Mohammad Khalid, a vociferous MP for Islamic Menbar often embroiled in open disputes with the liberal press, this week said that he would not give journalists "the special treatment they have been seeking."
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