Puntland parliament adopts New Media law

The Puntland administrations parliament today passed Puntland Media Bill that was earlier proposed by its ministry of information.

The Speaker of the state’s Parliament Said Hassan Shire announced the result of the discussions and debate made by the parliament, where 32 members out of the 37 lawmakers who attended the session voted in favor of the bill, while one opposed and 4 abstained.

On the other hand, Puntland’s Media Association rejected the passing of the new bill stating the bill restricts press freedom in Puntland and favors the Ministry of Information by giving it the authority to issue identification cards to the media workers in Puntland.

Media Association of Puntland said it is worried about the authorities may use the new bill to withdraw or refuse applications of new identification cards of anyone who criticizes the state or government officials.