The Bahraini parliament will discuss tomorrow, in its public session, the draft law of journalism, printing and publishing, which is long awaited, after years of review and continuous amendments through multiple legislative classes. The project comes in its current form after a wide consensus between the House of Representatives Services Committee and the government represented by the Ministry of Information, and in continuous coordination with the Bahraini Journalists Association, as the professional representative of the press body in the Kingdom.
Informed sources confirmed that the articles of the law are not completely new, but rather the product of lengthy discussions and periodic reviews that started several years ago, and aims to update the legal framework in line with the great transformations in the media scene, especially with the emergence of digital media and social media platforms as main means of publication and influence.
The project includes a fully added chapter to the electronic media, which clearly states that “electronic media is part of the media system in Bahrain, freedom of use is guaranteed, and there is no pre -control over the content that is circulating in electronic media sites.” It is in line with what many developed and regional countries have adopted to regulate digital media while ensuring freedom of expression.
With regard to unlicensed commercial activities associated with advertisements through electronic accounts, the project is a transformation from the criminal policy to the regulation policy, as it abolishes negative penalties for freedom, and provides a flexible mechanism that allows owners of commercial accounts to obtain a clear license, instead of their continuous exposure to legal accountability as is the situation under the current law.
One of the most prominent things stated in the draft law is to cancel the penalties restricted to freedom related to publishing, reduce a number of fines stipulated previously, or delete the minimum for them, in a way that expands the judge’s discretionary authority in dealing with various cases, and achieves a principle that suits the punishment with the crime committed. For example, the upper limit of the fine in Article 63 from ten thousand to seven thousand dinars was reduced, with the minimum penalty for other articles, including Article 71.
It was also agreed to amend the article on the criminal responsibility of the editor -in -chief and the manager responsible for the media website, so that the editor -in -chief is not a criminal official for everything published automatically, but his responsibility is determined based on the extent of his prejudice to his job duties, which restores balance in determining responsibilities within media institutions.
In the side of advertising and advertising, the draft law clarified that advertising offices are still subject to a tight organization, and require obtaining licenses from the Ministry of Information, in parallel with adherence to the conditions of the commercial registry, in order to avoid the penalties that may reach imprisonment or high fines according to the commercial registry law.
The discussion of the law comes at a symbolic timing that coincides with Bahrain’s celebrations of the Bahraini Press Day, which reflects the importance of this project in supporting the media sector, and providing a legislative environment that guarantees freedom of expression, stimulates creativity, and at the same time keeping pace with the requirements of the digital age.
