A few days after the ceasefire, we were surprised yesterday, Tuesday 21 April, by the referral of the Media Law proposal, as finalized by the Administration and Justice Parliamentary Committee, to the joint parliamentary committees, alongside another proposal submitted days earlier by MP Ghazi Zaiter. This step appears to be an attempt to delay the adoption of the draft law completed by the Administration and Justice Committee, which is urgently needed today, especially since it had already been referred to the General Assembly of the Parliament after years of deliberations.

Accordingly, we note the following:

Incorporating this proposal in the agenda of the joint committees, alongside MP Zaiter’s proposal, constitutes a deliberate attempt to undermine the long-standing efforts to enact a new media law, a process that began 16 years ago and intensified in 2024 and 2025 with the formation of a small parliamentary subcommittee.

In terms of timing, this comes at a moment when there is an urgent need for a law that protects journalists, counters hate speech and regulates the social responsibility of the media. Therefore, we regret this new delay and the harm it causes, as it undermines the role of the media and its ability to serve the public interest.

In our message to Members of Parliament: We therefore call on MPs, particularly members of the joint committees, to reject any further delays to this process and to insist on adopting the latest version approved by the Administration and Justice Committee, ahead of its discussion in the General Assembly.

We recall that the key reforms we have emphasized include:

- Abolishing criminal sanctions in defamation cases and replacing them with civil provisions, ensuring compensation is strictly proportionate to the inflicted harm.

- Restricting criminalization to statements amounting to incitement to hatred, which is defined as incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence. 

- Safeguarding press freedom and protecting journalists and their sources.  

- Establishing the Independent Media Commission, which will oversee media governance, in accordance with transparent standards and with the participation of civil society.

In detail: Members of the joint committees were notified of a session scheduled for Thursday, 23 April 2026, with an agenda comprising four items, including the discussion of the Media Law proposal. Attached were the report of the Administration and Justice Committee dated 18 October 2025, as well as a letter addressed by MP Ghazi Zaiter to the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, requesting that the Media Law proposal be acknowledged and referred to the competent committees for review, prior to its submission to the General Assembly. Also included was the draft law previously referred to the General Assembly by the Administration and Justice Committee after having completed its review.

Upon reviewing the correspondence and attached documents, it appears that MP Ghazi Zaiter registered a Media Law proposal on 14 April 2026 under number 308, which was referred to the joint committees on 15 April 2026. It was also found that the content of this proposal is identical to draft law no. 44/2010, previously submitted in 2010 by MP Ghassan Moukheiber in collaboration with the Maharat Foundation.

Signatory Organizations:

“The Freedom of Opinion and Expression Coalition” that includes among its members: 

“The Union of Journalists in Lebanon”

“Maharat Foundation”

“Legal Agenda”

As well as: 

“International Federation of Journalists”

“Reporters without Borders”