Statement from AMARC 9 conference

This statemen was issued at the end of the Middle East and North Africa regional day during the Amarc9 conference held in Amman – 11 November 2006.

We, the participants of the Amarc9 conference held in the Jordanian capital Amman on Saturday November 11, 2006, request the following:

1. Lifting all restriction on the work of media institutions, journalist organizations and journalists whether they be in the form of detention or arrest, arbitrary and closing or restricting the work of media organizations.

2. Requesting government to respect international laws and treaties that focus on the issue of the freedom of expression.

3. Governments should separate themselves from the involvement in media. An independent media body can be established that can experience legal immunity. Ministries of Information, where they exist, must be banned.

4. Access to information and citizen’s rights in media must be guaranteed through clear constitutional amendments.

5. Legal and administrative structures must be created that guarantees the establishment and development of community media and community radio without administrative or financial restrictions.

6. Developing a package of media lws that guarantee press freedom and the freedom of expression and the exercise of media work without restrictions.

7. Activating citizen’s role in the work of media institute by creating a mechanism that allows for the free expression of journalists.

8. Work must commence towards the establishment of a training institute that is professionally equipped. A professional journalistic ethos should be established with the aim of sponsoring the honour and ethics of this profession.

9. New and independent funding sources or public funding must be found in order to empower media organisations with equipment and trained personnel.

10. Effort must be exerted to empower the courts to be independent so that they can be the only party enstrusted to look into media cases and to address them based on principles of democracy and freedom.

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