President Barack Obama has signed a law intended to provide more protections for a free press around the world.
The law, the Daniel Pearl Freedom of Press Act, expands efforts to identify countries where press freedom is being violated. The law is named after Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was beheaded by militants in Pakistan in 2002.
The law expands an annual report on human rights practices to include information about media treatment, and identify countries where the media is being repressed.
Obama said the law would be a signal to governments around the world that their actions, including treatment of the media, are being watched.
He was joined for the signing ceremony in the Oval Office by Pearl’s widow, Mariane, and Pearl’s parents and son.
Source: The Associated Press.
