New press law welcomed

Journalists and independent writers have welcomed the endorsement of a new Afghan press law earlier this month, believing that it has reduced curbs on press freedom. They argue, however, that additional steps are still needed. "The new press law guarantees freedom of expression and is unprecedented not only in Afghanistan, but also at the regional level," Abdul Hamid Mobarez, deputy minister of information and culture, told IRIN in the Afghan capital Kabul. Mobarez added that there were no limitations in the new law, except one article which stated that dishonouring Islam or any other religion was unacceptable. Up to now the Afghan press law of 1943 has been in force, but it has been widely criticised by local and international groups for its many limitations on the press, and being quite unable to meet the present needs of the country. Mobarez explained that today the country required a comprehensive and progressive press law that could ensure and promote democracy and freedom of speech for all Afghans. He added that, compared to the old press law, the new law did exactly that. "In my opinion the press law is a good and comprehensive one," Dr Kabir Ranjbar, chairman of the lawyers' association of Afghanistan, told IRIN, noting that international conventions on human rights had also been taken into account. Ranjbar said that there had been one difference, namely it had been recommended that the dictates of Islam must be enshrined in all mass media, including radio, TV, films and drama. He argued that no law, including this one, was totally adaptable to the conditions prevailing in the country due to the dominance of warlords, even in the capital, adding it was necessary to accelerate the disarmament process and put an end to warlordism forever. Some journalists, however, are critical of the new law. "Why is the press evaluation commission run by the government? We want the evaluation commission's members to be from the independent press because [only] the independent press can implement freedom of expression in the country," Shukria Dawi Barekzai, editor-in-chief of the Aina Zan weekly in Kabul, told IRIN. Meanwhile, spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Manoel de Almeida e Silva hailed the new law, telling IRIN: "The new Afghan press law is a positive development with progressive elements and an improvement over the previous law." He noted that the new law had some very important features. For example, it prohibited censorship and guaranteed the right of people to seek information, something that did not exist before.