Tripoli: The New-York based Human Rights Watch has urged the new government in Libya to revoke a law that criminalizes those glorifying the former dictator Muammar Gaddafi or spreading "propaganda" that insults or endangers the state.
The group said today that the law passed earlier this week is a throwback to Gaddafi's laws restricting freedom of speech and was a violation of Libya's new commitment to international human rights law.
The law criminalizes spreading "false" news or "propaganda" that endangers the country's security. The law says glorifying Gaddafi and his regime is included in such crimes.
The group's regional director, Sarah Leah Whitson, said the law was a "slap" to all those imprisoned under Gaddafi for defending human rights.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, May 06, 2012, 00:00