After 16 years, Lebanon moves closer to a new freedom of information law

Submitted in 2010 and revised multiple times by parliamentary committees and subcommittees, the draft information law was finally approved on Thursday by the joint committees, including the Administration and Justice Committee and the Information Committee. It is expected to be referred shortly to the plenary session of Parliament for adoption.Speaking to L’Orient-Le Jour, Information Minister Paul Morcos said that the new law "will bring about a 90% transformation of the media sector, " stressing that "it represents a major step towards its modernisation."The draft law "introduces international standards into Lebanese law and enshrines freedom of expression, freedom of opinion and press freedom," he said, adding that it provides, for the first time, a regulatory framework for websites based on objective and...