Dabeiba: Freedom of speech is an inherent right to all Libyans
Libya's Prime Minister encourages the right of the press and the Libyan public to questions and criticize the performance of their government on World Press Freedom Day
Abdelhamid Dabeiba, the Head of the Government of National Unity, issued several directives to ensure the protection of journalists in Libya and to prevent their targeting, detention, or use of violence against them, as well as the obligation to protect them from dangers while doing their honourable work.
This was the Dabiba’s official publication to mark World Press Freedom Day, affirming that the right to freely question and criticize the government’s performance is an inherent right of all Libyans, as mentioned in the Constitutional Declaration and international charters.
He also emphasized the importance of protecting journalists from being targeted or restricted because of their views or because they work in the media, emphasizing that no journalist should be detained or subjected to violence while performing his or her journalistic duties.
The announcement comes after ‘Reporters Without Borders announced that Libya was ranked 165th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index for 2021, placing it at the bottom of the list. The World Press Freedom Index is an annual assessment of the state of press freedom in 180 countries.
The organization said that the press has paid a high price for the chaos that Libya has experienced over the last ten years, indicating that it has documented numerous abuses against journalists and the media in general, including harassment, censorship, and intimidation.
Libya, according to the report, is in desperate need of laws protecting freedom of speech and expression, as well as the protection of journalists on the job and the right to information.
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