Saudi media law amended to protect religious figures
May 1st, 2011 - 9:17 pm ICT by ANIRiyadh, May 30(ANI): In what is seen as a move to protect senior figures in religious establishment and other senior public officials amid growing media and internet criticism, the Saudi monarch King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has issued amendments to the Saudi Press and Publications Law.
According to The Gulf News, the royal decree amended five articles in the law which was issued in 2000.
One of the amendments stipulates that responsible persons in the publishing field shall be bound by objective and constructive criticism based on facts and that this criticism should be for the public interest.
The amendments make it a crime to publish any material that damages the reputation or cause insult to the kingdom’s grand mufti, members of the Council of Senior Religious Scholars and government officials.
It also stipulates that those in charge of publishing should not publish any materials violating Sharia, inciting division between citizens, promoting crimes or damaging the homeland’s public affairs. (ANI)
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