NMouakchott, Mauritania, 01/08 - Mauritania has set up a consultative National Commission for the Reform of the Electronic and Print Press made up of 60 members from public authorities, the private press, political parties and the civil society.
Led by Imam Cheikh, the Prime Minister`s communications adviser, the new body aims at establishing a complete diagnosis of the media situation, and make concrete proposals that will enable the commission to help efficiently in the establishment of democratic institutions and the rule of law in the country.
In addition, the commission will target the setting-up of a legal and institutional framework that will set the journalistic standards and rules, promote pluralism and preserve quality while playing the role of a controlling body.
Following the 3 August 2005 coup d`etat, the country`s press has been operating in a freer atmosphere, with open opposing views freely debated in both the print and electronic media.
Much to the delight of human rights advocates, "things have taken a positive turn. Issues related to human rights and humanitarian history are now being debated publicly," Fatimata M`baye, chairperson of the Mauritanian Association of Human Rights and Deputy chair of the International Human Rights Federation, noted.
The commission was set up on 15 December 2005.
