(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 16 September 2003 ARTICLE 19 press release: ARTICLE 19 Briefing of Kazakhstan’s draft Law “Concerning Mass Media” ARTICLE 19 today published an analysis of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s draft Law “Concerning Mass Media”. ARTICLE 19 has serious concerns with the draft Law. A number of its provisions impose […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 16 September 2003 ARTICLE 19 press release:
ARTICLE 19 Briefing of Kazakhstan’s draft Law “Concerning Mass Media”
ARTICLE 19 today published an analysis of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s draft Law “Concerning Mass Media”.
ARTICLE 19 has serious concerns with the draft Law. A number of its provisions impose significant restrictions on freedom of expression and the general scope of the law is extremely broad. One problem lies in the attempt to regulate every aspect of the media, and every media sector, in a single piece of legislation. This leads to legal regimes for registration, licensing, accreditation and access to information that are vaguely delineated and often inappropriate. More importantly, the imposition of registration, licensing and accreditation systems, all overseen by bodies which are not independent of government, represents an excessive exercise of State control over the press, inconsistent with international guarantees of freedom of expression.
