Ramallah 23/2/2015- The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) wrapped up a three-day training workshop on freedom of expression for lawyers from cities south of the West Bank. This training course was conducted in cooperation with the Palestinian Bar Association and took place in Bethlehem. It is part of the project of “Defending freedom of expression and opinion through a healthy legal environment” which is funded by the European Union.
On the first day the trainer discussed different topics such as the media laws in Palestine and the legal and constitutional standards for freedom of expression and publishing. The trainer also talked about the Publications law and presented both the High Information Council and the Audio-Visual draft laws.
On the second day, the trainer presented the crimes in the Jordanian penal law related to dispraise, slander, libel, violation of public decency and morals, and violation of others' dignity. He also talked about the legal procedures according to penal law, and the role of the police, the prosecution and the court. At the end of the day some practical cases related to freedom of expression were presented. The lawyers participated in a simulation where they had to defend journalists in courts.
On the third day, both international and national concepts of freedom of expression and its status in Palestine were presented, as well as the negative impacts of the violations against freedom of expression on media and the development of the society. The trainee also presented the Right to Access Information draft law, which will hopefully be enacted in Palestine soon.
At the end of the training MADA’s General Director Mr. Mousa Rimawi and the Bar Association treasurer Mr. Ahmed Natsheh and Subcommittee member Attorney Mohammed Abu Srour distributed certificates to the trainers who participated in the workshop. MADA will conduct similar training courses for other lawyers in different cities in the West Bank and Gaza in cooperation with the Bar Association. MADA thanks the Bar Association for contributing to the successful implementation of these workshops.
