Beirut: In a move that affirms commitment to press freedom and the authority of the Publications Court to hear cases related to press crimes attributed to journalists, Minister of Information Paul Morcos issued Saturday a statement in which he indicated that in the wake of repeated summonses of journalists to appear before the Public Prosecution Court, he met with Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam and affirmed the need to guarantee media freedoms.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the statement continued to indicate that the Minister of Information also met once again with Justice Minister Adel Nassar in this context, reaffirming the need to "guarantee media freedoms while preserving the independence of the judiciary."
The statement added that Minister Morcos reiterated his position that the Publications Court is the concerned authority to adjudicate lawsuits filed against journalists related to press crimes. He stressed the need to expedite the approval of the new media law, which guarantees media freedoms and establishes a specialized civil body to look into press crimes attributed to journalists.