US reaffirms commitment to strengthening role of free, independent press in Libya
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the role of a free and independent press in Libya and around the world.
In a tweet on Wednesday, on World Press Freedom Day, the US Embassy in Libya wrote: "Freedom of expression is a human right enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
On World Press Freedom Day, the United States reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the role of a free and independent press in Libya and around the world.
For its part, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day celebrated on 3 May each year, "paid tribute to journalists who have died or been subjected to enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention or harassment in the course of their work".
The mission called for the protection of journalists and civilian workers in Libya, assuring that "freedom of expression is the basis for the protection of all other rights.
The chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, said on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day that "a free press is a precious gain that we need to strengthen trust, accountability and establish a homeland where justice prevails".
In 2021, the Government of National Unity issued guidelines on World Press Freedom Day, including a ban on targeting or using violence against journalists and a commitment to protect them from harm in the course of their work.
The guidelines also called on the government to emphasize the right to expression and criticism of government performance as "an inherent right of all Libyans, in accordance with the Constitutional Declaration and international covenants and regulated by the relevant applicable laws".
They advocate prohibiting "any targeting or harassment of journalists because of their opinions or because of their affiliation with the journalistic profession or their practice of media work", in addition to "preventing the arrest of any journalist or the use of violence against him or her in the exercise of his or her journalistic duties or harassment", and recommending that he or she be dealt with in accordance with the regulatory legal framework in case of possible violations by media professionals.
Libya is ranked 149th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index for 2023, down six places from 143rd place in 2022.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/SOC/BBA/RA 4May2023
