Parliament refers media draft law to media regulating bodies

CAIRO – 19 April 2017: Egypt’s Parliament referred a draft law on press and media regulation to the newly formed media regulatory bodies for review, Osama Heikal, head of the Parliament's Media, Culture and Antiquities Committee, said on Tuesday.
He told Youm7 that the committee will start discussing the law in the next weeks and that it will consider any remarks made by the media bodies on the law.

Earlier this month, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decree defining the composition of three new media bodies, namely the Higher Council for Media Regulation (HCMR); the National Press Organisation (NPO); and the National Media Organisation (NMO).

Veteran journalist Makram Mohammed Ahmed was appointed as the head of the HCMR, while journalists Karam Gabr and Hussein Zein appointed as heads of the NBA and the NMO respectively.

Each body is composed of 13 members selected by the President, Parliament, Press Syndicate, Higher Council for Universities, State Council and a representative from the Ministry of Finance.