Journalists, independent lawyers, media experts and officials of the Information Policy Service of the Presidential Administration agreed to create a working group and work together to finalize the draft of a new law on mass media. The decision was made on Tuesday at a round table where the situation with freedom of speech was discussed.
The draft document, which was previously submitted for public discussion, was subjected to harsh criticism.
Lawyers of Adilet Legal Clinic earlier, having analyzed the draft law, emphasized that it contains serious risks of illegal and unacceptable deviations from the guarantees of human rights to freedom of expression.
Separate provisions threaten the activities of independent media and journalists, including foreign media.
It is envisaged to introduce a number of different grounds and requirements containing vague wording of prohibitions, non-compliance with which may lead to liquidation of ф media outlet.
As a result, a representative of the Presidential Administration, Murat Ukushev, agreed that the presented version needs serious revision, taking into account the opinions and comments of the media community. He also agreed that the revised draft would be sent to the Venice Commission for an opinion. The subject of the appeal will be the Presidential Administration.
