comment-on-the-draft-national-policy-on-mass-communication-for-timor -leste

Comment on the Draft National Policy on Mass Communication for Timor Leste ARTICLE 19 London September 2009 ARTICLE 19 · Free Word Centre · 60 Farringdon Road · London · EC1R 3GA · United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7324 2500 · Fax: +44 20 7490 0566 · info@article19.org · http://www.article19.org This Note provides an analysis of the draft National Policy on Mass Communication for 1Timor Leste (draft Policy), which consists of the draft Policy itself, as well as a draft Government resolution adopting the Policy. The proposed Policy is the result of a long process of discussion and development of rules for the media in Timor Leste. In March 2009, ARTICLE 19 analysed five draft laws prepared on behalf of the UNDP for consideration by 2the authorities in Timor Leste. Our Analysis was critical of the drafts on a number of grounds many of which, unfortunately, also appear to run through the draft Policy. This Note assesses the draft Policy against international standards on freedom of expression as relevant to the issue of media regulation. The draft Policy has a number of positive features. The draft Resolution, for example, states that the aim of the Policy is to establish, “a 1 This analysis is based on an unofficial translation of the draft Policy provided to ARTICLE 19 by IREX. ARTICLE 19 takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the translation or for comments based on mistaken or ...