Shura Council's media committee discusses draft Information Law

Muscat: The Shura Council's Media, Tourism and Culture Committee today hosted Mohammed Said Al Balushi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, and other ministry officials to discuss queries and observations about the draft version of a new Information Law.

The meeting provided answers to queries raised by media professionals and those interested in the field of information.

Al Balushi said that the draft new Information Law was compiled years after the implementation of laws regulating media practices and activities in the Sultanate of Oman.

In this context, Al Balushi said that “developments that took place in the field of information –equally in terms of tools and methods of practise, underlined the need for a new law that regulates media action and contributes to the development of information in Oman”.

Al Balushi pointed out that the new Information Law is also envisaged to serve journalists, media professionals, media institutions and all those operating in the field of information, in its conventional and modern forms.

He added that the new draft law stems from the provisions of Article (35) of the Basic Law of the State, which stipulates that “freedom of opinion, speech, writing and other means of expression is guaranteed within the purviews of the law”, as well as Article (37), which stipulates that “freedom of the press, printing and publishing is guaranteed in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth by law. The law prohibits all that leads to strife or hatred or harms the security of the State or hurts human dignity or harms human rights.”

The meeting was chaired by Abdullah Hamad Al Harthy, Chairman of the Media Committee. It discussed all articles of the draft information law regulating aspects of media action in the Sultanate of Oman. The meeting looked into proposals to amend articles in the information law and it provided justifications for such amendments in accordance with the requirements of media practices and meetings held earlier to discuss the new draft law.