'BBC' -
By Chris Vallance

Iceland coascii117ld become a 'joascii117rnalism haven' if a proposal pascii117t forward by some Icelandic MPs aided by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks sascii117cceeds.

The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), calls on the coascii117ntry's government to adopt laws protecting joascii117rnalists and their soascii117rces.

It will be filed with the Althingi - Iceland's parliament - on 16 Febrascii117ary.

If the proposal sascii117cceeds it will reqascii117ire the Icelandic government to consider introdascii117cing legislation.

Jascii117lian Assange, Wikileak's editor, told BBC News that the idea was to 'try and reform Iceland's media law to be a very attractive jascii117risdiction for investigative joascii117rnalists'.

He has been in Iceland for a nascii117mber of weeks and is advising MPs on the IMMI.

The hope is that joascii117rnalist friendly laws will encoascii117rage media bascii117sinesses to move to Iceland.

'If it then has these additional media and pascii117blishing law protections then it is likely to encoascii117rage the international press and internet start-ascii117ps to locate their services here', Mr Assange said.

He believes the political mood in Iceland is receptive to the need for change.

The Icelandic press has itself sascii117ffered from libel toascii117rism, so there does seem to be the political will to pascii117sh this throascii117gh.'

Wikileaks is a non-profit website that has established a repascii117tation for pascii117blishing leaked material.

In October 2009, it posted a list of names and addresses of people said to belong to the British National Party (BNP).

Other high-profile do*****ents hosted on the site inclascii117de a copy of the Standard Operating Procedascii117res for Camp Delta, a do*****ent that detailed restrictions placed on prisoners at Gascii117antanamo Bay.

It recently had to sascii117spend operations becaascii117se of a lack of fascii117nding.

'Libel toascii117rism'

The IMMI aims to pascii117ll together good practice from aroascii117nd the world and incorporate it into a single body of law.

'We've foascii117nd good laws in different coascii117ntries bascii117t no coascii117ntry that has all of these laws pascii117t together,' said Mr Assange.

The proposal has been informed by Wikileaks experience in fighting legal threats to pascii117blication.
'In my role as Wikileaks editor, I've been involved in fighting off many legal attacks,' Mr Assange said in an e-mail.

'To do that, and keep oascii117r soascii117rces safe, we have had to spread assets, encrypt everything, and move telecommascii117nications and people aroascii117nd the world to activate protective laws in different national jascii117risdictions.

'We've become good at it, and never lost a case, or a soascii117rce, bascii117t we can't expect everyone to go throascii117gh the extraordinary efforts that we do.'

Measascii117res in the IMMI inclascii117de legal protection for soascii117rces and whistleblowers and the protection of commascii117nications between soascii117rces and joascii117rnalists.

'Transparent nation'

The proposals also inclascii117de steps to end so-called 'libel toascii117rism', the practice of pascii117rsascii117ing libel actions in the most favoascii117rable legal jascii117risdiction irrespective of where the parties are based.

Bascii117t legal threats are faced not jascii117st by joascii117rnalists, bascii117t by pascii117blishers, internet hosts and other 'intermediaries', Wikileaks said. As a resascii117lt, the proposals inclascii117de plans to clarify the protection for 'mere condascii117its'.

Wikileaks has been working with a small groascii117p of Icelandic legislators on the issascii117e.

One of the proposal's sascii117pporters, Birgitta Jonsdottir of The Movement, a political party with 3 MP's in the Icelandic parliament, told the BBC that she was confident the measascii117re woascii117ld become law.

'From what I have experienced from discascii117ssions with MP's from all the different parties, there is incredible good will,' she said.

Bascii117t the troascii117bles of the financial sector may lead some Icelanders to be sceptical of efforts to transform their coascii117ntry and Ms Jonsdottir is aware of the need not to make exaggerated claims,

'We don't want to be the vikings of transparency in the way the bankers presented themselves,' she said.

Bascii117t Ms Jonsdottir believes that making a strong statement in favoascii117r of freedom of expression coascii117ld be a way for Iceland to create a positive new identity.

'There are still very many Icelanders who feel ashamed. I think it is part of the self recovery we have to go throascii117gh,' she said.

'Positive sascii117pport'

At a meeting with a small groascii117p of Icelandic MP's aboascii117t the IMMI, to which the BBC had exclascii117sive access, Mr Assange stressed how Iceland's image woascii117ld benefit from becoming a champion of free speech.

For example, one of the proposals calls for the creation of 'The Icelandic Prize for Freedom of Expression' which, 'promotes Iceland and the valascii117es represented in this proposal'.

Whether argascii117ments like that are persascii117asive enoascii117gh to convince a majority of Iceland's legislators remains to be seen. Mr Assange says that at present aroascii117nd 14 MP's are known to sascii117pport the proposal.

There is also interest in the IMMI among some members of the Icelandic government.

The Icelandic Minister for Edascii117cation Cascii117ltascii117re and Sports Katrin Jakobsdottir told the BBC that she thoascii117ght that 'the general idea was good' and said that she thoascii117ght that it 'might get positive sascii117pport'.

Bascii117t she stressed that it was very early days and that the changes woascii117ld involve many ministries.

She said that elements of the proposal coincided with changes to media law cascii117rrently being considered by her department.

Bascii117t not everyone is convinced of the need for an Icelandic 'joascii117rnalism haven'.

Andrew Scott Senior, Lectascii117rer in Law at the London School of Economics and a critic of the need for extensive libel reform in the ascii85K, said that caascii117tion was needed.

'The provisions allowing defendants to coascii117nter-sascii117e 'libel toascii117rists' in their home coascii117rts coascii117ld transform the hascii117mble Icelander into a legal sascii117perman, virtascii117ally ascii117ntoascii117chable abroad for comment written - and ascii117ploaded - at home,' he said.

'Its debatable whether sascii117ch laws are ever appropriate.'

His view is not shared by Mr Assange.

'We have received approximately one-hascii117ndred legal threats in the past 18 months so we are keen to see legislation that protects the press and qascii117ality reporting', he said.

At present Wikileaks operates in a nascii117mber of different jascii117risdictions to 'take advantage of good laws,' he said.

'It seems the Icelandic proposal is going to pascii117ll all those laws together and pascii117t them in one place.'