Ramallah – (26th Sep. 2019) – The Conference of “Freedom of Expression concerns everyone”, organized by the Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms in Ramallah, Thursday, has recommended the need the work on developing and updating the Palestinian laws on media and on passing the right to information decree law. It further promoted professionalism at journalist work as one of the most significant pillars and means of media freedoms protection.
The Conference was attended by crowds of media professionals, representatives of media outlets and media students, not to mention the Palestinian Government Spokesman Ibrahim Melhem, the Chairman of MADA Dr. Ghazi Haninia, and the Director General of MADA Mousa Rimawi.
The sessions of the conference, which coincided with the International Day of the Right to Information corresponding to 28th September, were divided into two sessions moderated by Dr. Taleb and Samia Wazwaz. Both sessions have addressed the reality of media freedoms and legislation as well as the role of judiciary in promoting the freedom of expression. The working papers presented during these sessions were: the Reality of Freedom of the Media and Access to Information, Independent Media and Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Expression and Investigative Journalism, Hate Speech and Freedom of Expression, Harmonization of Media Legislation, the Importance of Freedom of Expression to Fight against Corruption, Judicial Reform and its Impact on Freedom of Expression. There were presented by: Sharif Hajj Ali, MADA, Raed Othman, Director General of MAAN Network, Muammar Orabi, Director General of Watan Media Network, Hala Tannous, UNESCO Ramallah Office, Adv. Ashraf Aby Hayya, Al-Haq Foundation, Kifaya Kharem, AMAN Transparency Palestine, Majed Al-Arouri, Civil Coalition of Judicial Reform, respectively.
Rimawi emphasized that “the freedom of expression is a matter that concerns everyone, and a human right everyone has to enjoy”. He also addressed the significant development witnessed by Palestine in the field of media freedoms ever since the new government was established. “This is a good indicator we hope shall continue and develop in adjusting and passing the legislation” he added.
Furthermore, he pointed to the establishment of the “Anti - Hate Speech Network in the Middle East and North Africa” announced few days ago in Geneva and in cooperation with a number of Arab non-governmental organizations.
Hanania stated that MADA, over more than 12 years, has dedicated its efforts and activities to defend the freedom of press and expression to promote the legal environment contributing to the development, multilateralism, and independence of media, as well as promoting the freedom of opinion and expression referring to the Press Freedom Index which allows to scientifically measure the status of media freedoms in Palestine. Not to mention that it enables the concerned authorities to derive policies that shall serve the promotion of the role of media and freedom of press and expression in Palestine. He also prepared the right to access information draft bill and strengthened this right widely. He further effectively contributed in the discussion on other draft bills on media.
He praised the existing government and its concern towards media freedoms. This has clearly reflected on the ground as “the number of documented violations against media freedoms in the West Bank during the past months which coincided with the establishing of the existing government, a noticeable decline, which is almost complete in some months”.
“We are so proud of the achievements realized by MADA, despite the difficult political, and economic situations related to the Occupation and its ongoing, aggravating and threatening violations against media freedoms. As these violations, since 2000, have led to the death of 43 female and male journalists, not to mention the injuries and arrests of hundreds of other journalists”.
The Government Spokesman, Mr. Ibrahim Melhem, has reaffirmed the eagerness of the Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Ishtaya to launch the press freedom indexes with their high ceilings indicating that the Prime Minister will personally follow up with these indexes.
“Since the first day of assuming its constitutional functions, public freedoms and press freedom, in particular, have always been significantly important and prioritized by the 18th Government considering them the best tool to measure its achievements and success of the level of services it provides to the people” Melhem added.
“In line with these orientations in which statements were closely associated with deeds, the government's record regarding press freedoms during the first months of assuming its duties is completely clear, according to reports issued by MADA Center, which the Prime Minister was honored to receive during his meeting with members of the board of directors of MADA by Dr. Ghazi Hanania” he added.
He also stated that the slogan of this conference “Freedom of Expressions concerns everyone” is basically a slogan that does not only imply the concerns about the freedom of opinion and expression, but also promises hope and expects efforts so that the legislation and laws may be passed and approved and to create a legal environment that safeguards freedoms and is compatible with the professional needs of the free press which is powerful and owns its empowered tools based on professional standards”.
While Sharif Hajj, MADA Center, has presented the reality of freedom of press and expression in Palestine indicating the Israeli violations which have not stopped but rather aggravated while the Palestine violations, on the other hand, have significantly declined during the past months ever since the existing government assumed its functions under the presidency of Dr. Mohammad Ishtaya.
He said that the Israeli occupation committed a total of 150 violations against media freedoms in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (including occupied Jerusalem) during the first half of this year, 59 of which were committed in Gaza Strip while 91 in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
He pointed out that the existing Palestinian government presided by Dr. Mohammad Ihstaya has expressed from the beginning its respect for freedom of press and freedom of opinion and expression, which contributed significantly to reducing the number of violations, where there have been only five violations documented in the West Bank since the beginning of May "which indicated that Government plays a major role in increasing or reducing the number of violations against press, media and freedoms in general”.
The Director General of MAAN Network, Ra’ed Othman, referred to a distinguished Palestinian experience in the field of establishment and diversity of media outlets on a large scale. He pointed out that this has resulted in a prominent role of the independent media in Palestine, where dozens of independent media institutions have appeared, which contributed to the promotion of freedom of the press and expression beyond the experiences of many countries.
He pointed out that the internal Palestinian partition constituted a setback for the freedom of expression, which has declined as a result of the mobilization of media to the parties to the internal conflict, not to mention that the independent media paid the price for this. “We, at MAAN, have paid part of this price as our offices were attacked more than once to publishing”.
He emphasized that the independent media has actively contributed to expanding the margin of press freedoms in Palestine, pointing out that MAAN Network (before the partition) published many reports concerning official figures and prominent codes in the Palestinian Authority, including the late President Yasser Arafat without being subjected to any harassment, unlike what became the case after the partition.
Tannous has also pointed to UNESCO's training courses targeting journalists in order to contribute to enhancing their knowledge and skills and raising their awareness about hate speech and fighting the same, stressing the importance of paying attention to all aspects and details such as images and terminology which are part of the hate speech, and the importance of rejecting the same.
She explained that UNESCO is working with different parties and authorities on the terminology which is circulating through the social media and the media outlets constituting a part of hate speech and ways to fight the same, noting that “Professionalism and knowledge of terminology are part of hate speech and a way to end hate speech”.
“Palestinian laws affirmed the protection of freedom of opinion and expression, starting with the Declaration of Independence and the Palestinian Basic Law; however, the laws relating to the media that followed included a gradual curtailment of freedoms” Orabi said, referring to a deterioration in the freedom of expression in Palestine over the past seven or eight years due to the internal partition which is considered one of the factors that has increased violations.
He presented aspects of Watan's experience in investigative journalism, the difficulties faced in accessing information, as well as the prosecutions and harassments it encountered for handling many cases. "We produced about 80 investigations and we had a bitter experience in doing so" he stated.
"This is a tiring press and the power centers are becoming even more powerful than any political system in the face of this kind of press" he said, adding that "five cases have been filed against Watan network in connection with our work” emphasizing that “not passing the right to information decree law will constitute one of the main problems press will face in Palestine”.
Adv. Ashraf Abu Hayya has addressed in his paper on the freedom of expression and the harmonization of legislation that “the idea of harmonization is much broader that the harmonization of legislation” clarifying that understanding the standards requires a different and deep perspective to the national legislation and regulation on media and the freedom of opinion and expression.
He pointed out that international standards tend to revoke licenses of the media outlets and only provide notice, and this is what we miss in the law of the Supreme Council of Information, for example.
He also presented some aspects of the Palestinian laws on media and the underlined gaps and weaknesses prejudicing the freedom of expression and press in accordance with the international standards and the Palestinian Basic Law. He also affirmed the need to work on the harmonization of all national legislation and regulation with the international standards, treaties and conventions signed by Palestine.
Mrs. Kifaya Kharem, AMAN Transparency Palestine has pointed to the “high rate of Palestinian citizens active in the social media which contributes to the publishing and circulation of information and which in return directly serves and promotes the freedom of expression and fighting against corruption”.
"The relationship between freedom of expression and the prevalence of corruption is inverse" she said. "The greater the freedom of the press and expression, the less corruption is" she added, referring to the experience and statistics which showed that "the top countries protecting freedom of expression and the press are the least suffering from the prevalence of corruption”.
Majid Al-Arouri, from the Civil Coalition for Judicial Reform said that "the greater freedom of the press and expression, this shall contribute to the judicial reform" clarifying that the press has the right to address various aspects of the judicial affairs unless it affects the judgments or affects the judicial misinformation provided that such media be adjusted under the professional rules (subjectivity while transmitting) which govern publishing.
“The press can play an important role in judicial reform by revealing any attempt to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary, for example. Furthermore, if the press has eyes on the judicial proceedings this will contribute positively to reforming any failure provided that this shall take place without intervening in the judiciary work”.
“The judiciary is interested in being opened to press which shall serve its reform” he stated and that the Public Prosecution views towards the media has significantly improved and developed during the recent period referring to the way the Public Prosecution processed and handled the case of the late Israa Ghrayeb.
The conference was supported by the Open society Foundations (OSF)
