UAE passes controversial media law

[Naveed Yaseen]

DUBAI (April 23 2009): Emirati legislators passed a controversial law Wednesday that includes hefty fines for journalists, the official news agency reported. The report did not include details of the final law, but a draft version included fines up to about $136,000 for ``carrying misleading news that harms the national economy.'

It also included a staggering fine of $1,350,000 for ``insulting' members of the government and ruling family, according to New York-based Human Rights Watch. Journalist groups in the United Arab Emirates and international rights groups have criticised the draft law. They accused the Persian Gulf state of trying to muzzle the press, turning news outlets into the country's image-building machine in challenging economic times after years of basking in coverage of hyper-growth.

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