The exercise of the right to freedom of thought, opinion and expression is governed by Act n° 60-12 of 30 June 1960 on press freedom and Act 97-010 of 20 August 1997 pertaining to the liberalisation of the audio-visual environment and special penal provisions relative to breach of press and communication laws. In order to ensure compliance with ethical rules and values, media practitioners set up the Observatory for Media Deontology and Ethics (OMDE) in 1998 and a Code of conduct for the Beninese media. This organ is charged with defending press freedom, protecting the right of the public to free, comprehensive, honest, and accurate information, ensuring the safety of journalists whilst exercising their duties; it may seize itself or be seized by any other person who believes his rights have been infringed on by the publication of information by a given medium or by a breach of the code of conduct and ethics. The United Nations Human Rights Committee for its part did recommend that journalists no longer be liable to serve prison sentences for breach of the press laws, during the consideration of the Benin report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in October, 2004. These recommendations were taken into consideration in the bill relative to the information and communication code. Meanwhile, the High Audio-Visual and Communication Authority ensures compliance with the code of conduct by the media while protecting press freedom and serves as the regulatory organ. The Authority may seize itself or be seized. Regarding other public freedoms, they are laid down in article 25 of the Constitution which stipulates as follows: - 12 -