The Timor-Leste government has dropped a proposed legal clause that sought to criminalize media freedom to criticize the state, following protests from journalists and civil society.
President Jose Ramos-Horta urged the Secretariat of State for Social Communication to abandon the move and ensure that no law is enacted to control the media or obstruct the work of journalists.
The government "must not make laws that kill press freedom. If I see a decree-law aimed at controlling the media and making their work difficult, as your president, I will veto it," Horta said on Aug. 14.
The Secretariat recently proposed amending the 2014 Social Communication Law, purportedly to regulate and promote freedom of expression, media independence, and journalistic professionalism.
However, the proposed amendment criminalizes media work. It stated that 'publication or transmission of texts or images that 'offend legally protected interests' will be punishable, with responsibility falling on authors, editors, and media directors.
Critics warned that the term "legally protected interests" was vague and elastic, making it open to abuse, and poses "a serious threat to press freedom and journalists."
The Secretariat, along with the Timor-Leste Press Council, confirmed that the controversial clause has been removed from the draft amendment.
The clause was "aimed at protecting journalists as informers and educators in our country; that is why we agreed to eliminate it,' said Dias Ximenes Expedito, Secretary of State for Social Communication.
The Timor-Leste Journalists' Association (AJTL) welcomed the decision, describing it as a victory for press freedom, but pledged to remain vigilant.
"This elimination shows that joint advocacy from journalists, civil society, and allied movements was strong enough to influence decision-makers," AJTL President Zevonia Vieira said.
"But we will continue to monitor the amendment process, because what is removed today could be brought back tomorrow," she added.
The controversy echoed a similar dispute in 2022, when civil society organizations protested against the government's plan to criminalize defamation, warning it would stifle public debate and transparency.
Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and long-time advocate for free expression, reiterated that media freedom is a fundamental component of human rights.
"Without it, people will stop speaking the truth," he said.
Timor-Leste is ranked 39th among 180 nations in the Global Press Freedom Index by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
No journalist has ever been jailed in connection with their work in the country; however, the 2014 media law is "a permanent threat" that hangs over journalists, encouraging self-censorship, RSF says.
Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/timor-leste-drops-contentious-clause-in-amendment-to-media-law/10998