By- Radio ML
Today, Thursday, 16 deputies from the House of Representatives submitted a legislative initiative consisting of a draft basic law on the freedom of audiovisual communication and the organization of the Audiovisual Communication Authority and the determination of its competencies.
Deputy Thabet Al-Abed (Independent National Bloc) explained in a post he published today on his social media page "Facebook" that the draft law was deposited with the registry office in Parliament, in accordance with the provisions of Article 60 of the Constitution and Articles 122 and 123 of the internal regulations of the House of Representatives. He added that the draft law contains 99 articles distributed across five chapters.
In explaining the reasons for this legislative initiative, Al-Abed wrote in his post that the draft law was deposited due to "the importance of the freedom of audiovisual communication in strengthening the foundations of democratic transition and the close link between the tasks of the authority (the Audiovisual Communication Authority) and the exercise of this constitutional freedom."
He added that the draft law carries this comprehensive vision, including a chapter dedicated to general principles, another to the organization and functioning of the authority, while the third chapter is dedicated to the audiovisual media sector, the fourth chapter addresses various offenses and penalties, and the fifth chapter relates to final and transitional provisions.
It is worth noting that the Independent High Authority for Audiovisual Communication "HAICA" was established on May 3, 2013, pursuant to Decree No. 116 dated November 2, 2011, concerning the freedom of audiovisual communication and the establishment of the authority.
HAICA is a public institution enjoying financial and administrative independence. The authority organizes and regulates the audiovisual media sector, ensuring its plurality, diversity, balance, and the independence of its means, and oversees the guarantee of freedom of expression within the framework of respect for legal controls. The authority also ensures the support of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The HAICA board has not convened since the beginning of 2024.