1. A Regional Strategy for Promoting a Free Media and Freedom of Expression in the Middle East and North Africa
- Author:
- Keith Henderson
- Publication Date:
- 02-2005
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- The main objective of this paper is to encourage open debate and reform action in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on the need to create the legal and political enabling environment necessary to promote good governance, the Rule of Law and citizen participation. The paper notes that many of the defamation laws in the region still contain criminal penalties, including high fines and imprisonment, and that the threat and enforcement of these laws and policies leads to government censorship, self-censorship and sometimes imprisonment. These practices are now well understood as counter to international obligations and best practices as well as to the guarantees of a free media and free speech enshrined in most MENA Constitutions. The net result of these practices is a culture of secrecy that presents high barriers to sustainable economic and political reform. Collectively, this secrecy effectively muzzles open discussion and critical reform debate and makes the promotion of basic human rights and a good governance reform agenda virtually impossible.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Democratization
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Middle East, and North Africa