Macau | Journalist association concerned about press freedom due to changes on civil protection law

Macau (MNA) – The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) has submitted a letter to the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, on Wednesday expressing its concerns over a possible impact on the freedom of press in Macau if proposed changes to the Civil Protection Framework Law are enforced.

“We understand the importance of having an improved civil protection mechanism, especially after what happened during Typhoon Hato last year … but we are concerned about a couple of issues that are included in the public consultation document,” the AIPIM President, José Carlos Matias, told Macau News Agency (MNA).

The revision of the civil protection act is under consultation until August 11, with one of the proposed changes under discussion being the possibility to charge with a prison sentence up to three years a person who is found to have spread rumours affecting civil protection or social stability.

AIPIM is concerned that if the law is not properly delimited or is not applied with ‘common sense’ it could risk a number of fundamental rights, freedoms and guarantees enshrined in article 27 of the Macau SAR Basic Law, which guarantees freedom of press and expression.

“We believe it’s really important to ensure that what will be set up in the law will be very specific and concrete, and won’t pave the way for a discretionary or arbitrary approach by authorities if it’s slightly vague,” Mr. Matias added.

In its letter, the association also inquired authorities on how the new law will protect those who reproduce false rumours without being aware they are doing it; how abusive interpretations of the evaluation of intentionality of those who produce such false rumours will be avoided and how hearsay and false rumours will be defined.

AIPIM also questioned the government if the current provisions already included in the Penal Code in regard to crimes of publicity and slander, offence to a legal entity exercising public authority, threat of crime or abuse and simulation of danger signals would not be enough to prevent the issues the public alarm amendment intends to prevent.

The association is also worried about one of the law propositions which defines civil servants (including those responsible for public broadcasting) who refuse to participate in civil protection work could incur the crime of qualified disobedience, which can lead to imprisonment of up to two years.

“It’s really important for us that journalist independence and those who are responsible for the editorial line in public broadcasting firms [such as TDM] that independence is protected,” Mr. Matias added.

The association head said that he hoped the authorities “bear these core principles in mind” when writing the final draft of the Civic Protection Law so as to not “shrink” journalistic independence and freedom of expression in the city.

AIPIM has also previously expressed concerns over a possible future limitation of media work and freedom of expression by the eventual approval of Macau’s first Cybersecurity Law