Writers push governments to repeal the laws on criminal libel
Police arrest a journalist covering a protest in Kampala. Global association of writers, PEN International, is pressuring the governments of Uganda, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Zambia to repeal their laws to expand the democratic space. FILE PHOTO | AFP
Global association of writers, PEN International, which has been campaigning against the retention of criminal defamation laws in Africa, is pressuring the governments of Uganda, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Zambia to repeal their laws to expand the democratic space.
PEN recently released a report, Stifling Dissent, Impeding Accountability – Criminal Defamation Laws in Africa, in Kampala, detailing how governments stifle the freedom of expression, open debate, political criticism and media reporting using laws that criminalise speech or publications that they consider defamatory.
