UAE information minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed Tuesday the importance of reviewing some of the articles of the press and media law, saying that the present law has resulted in the imprisonment of many journalists for their anti-government opinions, according to the Gulf News daily.
Abdullah said he was against the imprisonment of any journalist, and that there should be an alternative punishment such as fines, added the daily.
Nevertheless, he expressed fear that a new press law might be harsher and tougher on journalists than the present one.
Meanwhile, Abdullah said that his ministry has allocated Dh300,000 to the UAE Press Association and that they are waiting for final approval from the ministry of finance. Speaking during the Fourth Federal National Council session, he called for a restructuring of the entire infrastructure of his ministry in order to match the realities of today's world, added the paper.
The Gulf state is considered one of the pioneering countries in the field of journalism especially after its application of the Internet, according to the education ministry's website.
More than 5 daily newspapers in both Arabic and English languages as well several weeklies are published in the UAE -- Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
