Will the Lebanese authorities limit the electronic media’s freedom?

An important call to all online activists: Any word you write online might soon turn against you.           

This is what we can deduce from the Electronic Media draft law recently put by Information Minister Walid Daouk before the cabinet.            

Daouk said that he is not aiming at limiting the media freedom, but at organizing this sector. However, it seems that the minister’s justification did not convince Lebanese bloggers who launched a campaign entitled “Stop LIRA” or “Stop Lebanese Internet Regulation Act”.          

Thus, a violent attack was launched against the law that was added to the cabinet’s agenda last week, but has not been discussed yet.          

Until now, it seems that bloggers are united against this law that they consider “archaic”, especially that the Internet is subject to the Publications Act that was enacted in the 1960s.          

The minister overlooked the law put before the media committee at the Parliament, this same law that was submitted by MP Ghassan Moukheiber, raising several question marks on the timing of this proposal, the political parties that might push for its adoption and the reasons why it overlooked the minimum internet working conditions.