(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the National Assembly vote of a draft law that would set prison sentences for press infractions. On the night of 7 to 8 December 2004, following a debate on the creation of a regulatory body charged with handling discrimination complaints, the government succeeded in pushing through a series of measures, […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has condemned the National Assembly vote of a draft law that would set prison sentences for press infractions. On the night of 7 to 8 December 2004, following a debate on the creation of a regulatory body charged with handling discrimination complaints, the government succeeded in pushing through a series of measures, which constitute a serious threat to free expression.
To achieve its goal, the government carried off a masterful slight of hand. Facing criticism levelled at its initial draft law, which proposed to ban, among other things, homophobic remarks, the justice minister withdrew the legislation but proceeded to reintroduce its essential proposals in the form of amendments.
Parliamentarians will have another chance to debate the legislation during a 22 December second reading in the Senate. If they fail to grasp the serious implications of the draft law and reverse the National Assembly vote, the new law will contravene the 15 June 2000 law abolishing prison sentences for the majority of press infractions. It would also be at odds with the general movement towards legal reform more respectful of free expression that has developed since that time, with the backing of the European Union. The law would also come into conflict with European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, which has tended to affirm, in recent rulings, free expression principles rather than their restriction.
While RSF shares the French government’s resolve, and that of all democratic nations, to fight all forms of discrimination, the organisation emphasises that it is through the free debate and expression of ideas, and not by the repression of those ideas, that a society moves towards tolerance and respect for the dignity of all.
