Afghan journalists claim small victory in press freedom battle

PanARMENIAN.Net - Afghan journalists are claiming a small victory in their battle for press freedom after the government agreed to some softening of media restrictions, industry representatives said on Monday, Oct 1, Reuters reported.

Journalists have been locked in a row with the government for months after authorities proposed a revision of the existing media law, which looked to significantly tighten Kabul's grip over the fledgling but lively Afghan press corps.

The legislation raised fresh concerns that authorities were trying to appeal to the more conservative side of society ahead of the pullout of most foreign troops by the end of 2014.

A frequent gripe though was that the changes would have forced reporters to "observe the principles of Islam", a vague catch-all stipulation which some journalists say the government uses to detain them.

The Ministry of Information and Culture agreed to five of 19 changes suggested by journalists. They include getting rid of special courts for alleged media violations and a clause that proposed restriction on foreign programming on radio and TV.

The new draft still presents the media with restrictions, including a heavy government presence on the High Media Council, a 15-member body which has enormous sway over ethics and legal procedures.

A final draft is expected to be sent to the Ministry of Justice which will review it before forwarding it to be approved by parliament and finally rubber-stamped by Karzai.