Press organizations: law demonstrate that contains the terms ", its banks". And sanctions are incompatible with democracy



I almost association defending freedom of the press, Monday, that the amendment to the law on the peaceful demonstration included a citizen eligible to strike and sit-in, while noting that the penalties provided in the law are incompatible with the principles of democracy enshrined in the Iraqi Constitution.

The head of the association defending press freedom Mustafa Nasser, in a statement to "range", the "law on freedom of expression, Assembly and peaceful demonstration prepared by the previous Government in 2012 after the demonstrations of February 2011, was sent to Parliament, because of political differences was not adopted until the end of the last parliamentary session", noting that "despite the endeavours by the relevant local organizations and international organizations to stop discussing or thinking on the agenda of the House originally but it Was discussed ".

Nasser, said that "after the formation of the new Government, the Cabinet sent the current jurisprudence considered among the Government's priorities for the next phase, including the law on freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration alongside cyber crime and other laws", stating that "the current Parliament differed slightly from the last session began debating the law with organizations concerned".

He stressed that the "Association for the defence of press freedom in Iraq has provided complete draft of this law, the Parliament organized a hearing, then mini meetings with international organizations advocate of freedoms in the Middle East", pointing out that "highlighted the problems the law is bringing freedom of expression which was absolute in the Constitution, peaceful protest meant to organize the fair Act, as well as the right to obtain information applicable to all free and democratic countries".

Nasser said he "Shapes II is his fullness phrases loose elastic that lends itself to the interpretation of security and judicial authorities and thus the possibility of arrest any activist or simply demonstrator", stressing that "the penalties therein are harsh and is not commensurate with the democratic State claiming to foster freedoms and Constitution so provides, for example, that there are some penalties referred to the Iraqi Penal Law 111 of 1969 up to life imprisonment and heavy fine".

Between Nasser "the law of the jurisdiction of the Commission on human rights, which in turn started to modify certain paragraphs and highlighted in the name of the law to the law of the peaceful demonstration only and not the law of freedom of expression and demonstration", stating that "the citizen's entitlement was included in strike and sit-in, which wasn't mentioned in the original Act in law, as it was lifting a paragraph to the right of access to Information Act, in addition to other modifications".

The journalist, said qais alagrsh, in a statement to "range" "since 2006, we note that there is intent on both Bills provided by successive Governments, seek to reduce the ceiling of freedoms as title II of the Constitution".

Alagrsh, added that "the dominant political forces in Parliament seeking to choose times" blinding "fan to pass laws that serve is, including trying to pass a law on freedom of expression, who doesn't know a lot of people and information the final text", stressing that "this practice frequently, where plunging square controversy several drafts and does not mention the location of the final draft before the House of representatives to vote for it like other State sites suffer from underdevelopment due to operators edit".

Alagrsh noted that "freedom of expression must be prescribed by law, laitok as any legal provision will contribute to reducing the characterization which the Constitution as freedom of expression is not an invention, then we must adopt global standards for characterization".

He added that "a short vision and drafts intellectual limited written successive Governments failed to exact characterization and this is what happened in the law" on the rights of journalists "and other laws, and will be repeated as long as the same totalitarian mentality that control laws within the Government, there has been no effort to replace".

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