The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held Monday its regular weekly session at the Tamim bin Hamad Hall at the Councils headquarters, under the chairmanship of HE Shura Council Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.

At the beginning of the session, the Council commended the outcomes of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's last week Asia tour, which included the Republic of the Philippines, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and Nepal.

The Council affirmed that the tour reflected the depth and strength of the State of Qatars relations with those friendly countries, highlighting the agreements and memorandums of understanding that emerged from the discussions that His Highness held with the leaders of the three countries.

The Council noted that HH the Amirs tour strengthened bilateral relations between Qatar and the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nepal, and opened broader horizons for developing cooperation in various fields.

After that, HE Shura Council Secretary-General, Nayef bin Mohammed Al Mahmoud, read out the agenda of the session, and the minutes of the previous session were approved.

During the session, the Council reviewed a general discussion request submitted by Their Excellencies Shura Council members, on the regulation of digital media content.

Within this framework, HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim said the State of Qatar's constitution and laws guarantee free speech as long as it does not exceed the principles of religion, established customs and traditions, the values of society, morals and social peace, and does not harm the supreme interests of the state, stressing at the same time the danger of uncontrolled use of digital platforms, and the need to regulate the digital content.

His Excellency pointed out that some undisciplined content creators often lead to insulting social values, customs and traditions, leading to the destabilization of belonging and pride in national identity, which contributes to spreading an alien culture in society, and negatively affects all segments of it.

For their part, Their Excellencies the members of the Council noted the provisions of the countrys constitution and the relevant laws stipulating the criminalization of any acts that harm the states interest and social values, and the imposition of deterrent penalties and doubling them in the event that some of these acts are repeated.

Their Excellencies pointed out that the lack of a legal framework that regulates the creation of content through social media platforms and sets the controls and conditions that must be followed, has led to the audacity of some to raise issues that are criminalized by laws, or that fall under the interpretation of criminal legal texts, or lack a legal basis that requires compliance with it.

During their discussion of this topic, Their Excellencies Council members pointed out that the reality of creating media content on digital platforms requires setting controls and conditions that content makers adhere to, whether they are individuals or institutions.

After the discussions, the Council decided to refer the request for general discussion to the Information and Cultural Affairs Committee to mull and submit a report thereon.

During the session, the Council reviewed a draft law on the protection of public electrical and water facilities, which was referred to it by the esteemed government, and decided to refer it to the Services and the Public Utilities Committee to study and submit a report on it.

During the session, the Council also discussed the report on the participation of HE Shura Council member Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al Dhabet Al Dosari in the 33rd session of the Executive Committee of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, which was held in February in Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

Reviewing the report, HE Al Dosari indicated that the meeting addressed a number of issues on joint Arab action and issued a statement calling on the Arab parliaments and councils to unify the Arab position to affirm the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes from which they were unjustly displaced.

His Excellency stated that the statement called on the UN Security Council to be more just and firm in its dealings with the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the entire occupied Palestinian territories.

The Council also discussed the report of the Qatari-Asian Parliamentary Friendship Group's February visit to the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye. HE Chairman of the Committee Ahmad bin Hitmi Al Hitmi said the visit included a meeting with the President of the Turkish Parliament and touched on the existing cooperation relations between the Shura Council and the Turkish Parliament and ways to strengthen and develop them, in addition to discussing a number of topics and issues of common interest.

At the conclusion of the session, HE the Shura Council Speaker briefed the members on the participation of the Council delegation, headed by His Excellency, in the sixth conference of the Arab Parliament and Speakers of Arab Councils and Parliaments, which was held Saturday in the Arab Republic of Egypt under the theme "An Arab parliamentary vision for achieving the safe employment of artificial intelligence".

His Excellency indicated that the conference adopted a document, which included the vision of the Arab parliaments for the safe use of artificial intelligence, indicating to the Council that it focused on the safe use of artificial intelligence in the Arab world, and on the benefits resulting from it and the challenges and threats accompanying it.

The document called for the need to develop national strategies and programs to regulate artificial intelligence, and to enhance research in this field, in addition to emphasizing the necessity of enacting legislation and establishing legal frameworks to regulate the uses of artificial intelligence.

His Excellency also informed the Council of his meeting with HE President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah El Sisi, during his reception of the heads of Arab councils and parliaments on the sidelines of the conference.