SECTOR 1 In all, efforts have been made to legislate in favour of the protection of press freedom. However, panelists expressed some fundamental reservations in this regard. Firstly, even though article 98 of the law on press freedom (OL 002) enshrines the elimination of libel as a press offence, it still imposes very heavy fines on journalists. Also, laws promulgated by the transitional government have not been published in the Official Gazette, and thus it remains open to question how applicable or legally binding they are. Finally, the transitional provisions set out in article 58 of Law 003 bar the HAC from starting its activities, pending the establishment of the National Assembly expected only after the legislative elections scheduled for November 2011. Consequently, at the time of this panel meeting, the existing National Communication Council (Conseil National de la Communication, CNC) set up under the 1991 legislation was still in place and functioning. Professional journalists, for the most part, apply the laws promulgated by the transitional government, even though they have not been officially published. They are considered to be fairly well written and respecting the international norms of the profession. It was felt, therefore, that their non-publication in the Official Gazette should not constitute an obstacle to their implementation. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 4.8 (2008 =n/a ; 2006 =n/a) 1.2 The right to freedom of expression is practised and citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights without fear. It cannot really be said that freedom of expression is practised by citizens without fear. Many prefer self-censorship for fear that their views might, implicitly or AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GUINEA 2011 77