Government of Timor-Leste

The Secretary of State for Media, Nélio Isaac Sarmento, handed the Draft of the Law on Media to owners and directors of media agencies and journalists associations, after a presentation and discussion, which took place at Tibar Beach Retreat, on December 17^th, 2012.

“The process of preparation of the Draft of the Law on Media is considered as a democratic process, as it has the maximum participation of the sectorial bodies, in Timor-Leste. This process started with the IV Constitutional Government’s mandate, when journalists nominated their five representatives, collaborating with the Government’s legal experts, to develop the Draft of the Law. The process continued during the last months, now with the V Constitutional Government, and it was finished by December 12^th, 2012”, explained the Secretary of State.

According to Nélio Isaac Sarmento, “this is a democratic process, therefore, we gathered here today with an aim to broaden the discussion. Apart from the five journalists’ representatives, we would also like to listen to the opinion of directors, Media owners and journalists’ associations, to have, in the future, a comprehensive, consensual and quality law”.

In the end of the presentation and discussion of the law’s draft, the text was handed out to participants, for a deeper analysis, for the seminar that will take place on January 21^st, 2013, with the presence of international experts.