Articles

Posted by ARTICLE 19 on 31/10/11

In the wake of a tumultuous civil war, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, Agnes Callamard, along with twelve other Arab and international media support specialists, toured the newly liberated Libya to help citizens understand their rights to free expression. The delegation team met with media practitioners for workshops dealing with issues of media law, audio visual regulation, media safety and free media. This press release details the preceding goals of the tour and its potential implications on Libyan media.

A thirteen-member Arab and international delegation of media support, including ARTICLE 19 Executive Director Agnes Callamard, is headed for a week long working visit to Libya starting Friday 28 October 2011.

“Just as we have done with Tunisia, right after the revolution, ARTICLE 19 aims to assess the immediate and long term freedom of expression and media freedom needs in Libya. We are delighted to be part of this historic mission to the country and to demonstrate our support to the Libyan people,” said Dr Agnes Callamard.

The delegation will begin in Benghazi and will conclude in Tripoli on November 3 2011. The international delegation will meet with media practitioners, officials of the National Transitional Council and will hold workshops dealing with issues of media law, audio visual regulation, media safety and building a vibrant free media. Visits to media outlets in Benghazi, Tripoli and other Libyan cities are also planned.

Senior NTC official Mahmoud Shammam welcomed the visiting media support delegation. "The delegation's mission and aim of working with local media outlets and helping us regulate the media landscape in the new Libya is exactly what we need at this time"

The visit is the initiative of the Copenhagen-based International Media Support (IMS), the Doha Center for Media Freedom and the Amman-based Community media Network (CMN).

Mission spokesman, Daoud Kuttab, director of CMN from Jordan says that the visit to Libya is a working one. “The goal of our trip is not merely to assess the media situation; we are going to Libya to show solidarity with independent Libyan journalists and the fledging free media and to find ways in which we can work together.”

Jesper Hojberg of IMS from Denmark adds that visit will help international media organisations to coordinate and “better focus its efforts based on the expressed needs of our Libyan colleagues.”

Jan Keulen director of the Doha Center for Media Freedom called the visit an “important foundation for a holistic Arab and international approach to the building of a free media in the new Libya.” A follow up meeting might take place in Doha, Qatar this winter.

The delegation also includes representative of Internews (US), Free Press Unlimited (Holland), International News Safety, Sawt Al Hurr (Egypt) , PenMedia (Palestine), World Association of Newspapers, AMARC (Canada) and Arab Network for Human Rights Information (Egypt).