Her name is Rehtaeh Parsons — and now everyone can say it.

Nova Scotia Attorney General Lena Metlege Diab issued a directive Wednesday saying the province will not prosecute the media or others for identifying Rehtaeh Parsons as the victim in a recent high-profile child pornography case, unless her name is used in a derogatory way.

“The intent of this directive is to make it clear that the respectful use of Rehtaeh’s name will not be prosecuted,” said Diab in a statement.

“This decision wasn’t made lightly. I carefully considered the original intent of the law to protect victims, and I listened to the views of Rehtaeh’s parents, supporters, legal experts and Nova Scotians. This directive strikes the right balance.”

A judge put the mandatory ban on Parsons’ identity in May in the case of two young men who were charged with child pornography offences, even though he said his decision “serves no purpose” because both of the girls’ parents wanted her identity public and her case had been widely reported.

On Nov. 24, the Halifax Chronicle Herald broke the ban in a story about one of the young men associated with the case pleading guilty to distributing child pornography.

The other young man was given a conditional discharge for making child pornography. Neither of them can be identified because they were youths at the time of the offence.

News of the attorney general’s directive was a relief to Glen Canning, Rehtaeh’s father.

“It almost feels like I got her name back,” Canning said in an interview Wednesday.

After a judge ordered the ban, Canning began wearing a T-shirt to court bearing his daughter’s name.

“We can attach her name again to this conversation and that’s just fantastic,” he said.

The sexually graphic photographs related to the cases were taken in November 2011 at a house party in Nova Scotia. Parsons attempted to kill herself on April 4, 2013. She was taken off life-support three days later.

With files from The Canadian Press

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