In response, the Syndicate Council expressed regret over the signing of the law despite an appeal by the Lebanese Press Federation, which comprises the Press Syndicate and the Editors’ Syndicate, urging the President to return it to Parliament because of the serious risks it poses to press and media freedoms and to the unity of the journalistic community, which speaks on behalf of the Lebanese people as a whole.
The Council had previously outlined the provisions it considered harmful and called for their amendment before the law was passed by Parliament. It said Article 104 undermines press and media freedoms, while Articles 74 and paragraph (e) of Article 115 threaten the unity of the journalistic community by allowing the proliferation of syndicates, further fragmenting and dividing the media landscape. It also noted that the adopted wording characterizes any media-related violation as a crime throughout the law’s provisions.
Despite these successive developments, the Syndicate Council said it continues to rely on the credibility of the promises made to approve the proposed amendments, which have received the support of parliamentary blocs from across the political spectrum and have been endorsed by the Minister of Information in statements on several occasions, most recently this morning at the Presidential Palace.
The Editors’ Syndicate stressed that it will continue to oppose the law in its current form and will not cease its efforts until the agreed-upon amendments are adopted.
The Lebanese Press Editors’ Syndicate also declared its full and unwavering solidarity with the Press Syndicate, stressing complete coordination between the two within the framework of the Lebanese Press Federation on all matters aimed at safeguarding media freedom and preserving the unity of the media community.
The Syndicate Council decided to keep its meetings open-ended in order to follow developments related to the issue and take the appropriate steps accordingly.