Scrap archaic laws incriminating journalists - Raymond Louw

"Too many journalists are either imprisoned or harassed or assaulted in Africa and I would like to see an end to that," Louw, a veteran newspaper editor and journalist, told Bizcommunity.com yesterday, 19 January 2011, in Johannesburg.

Few means to attain freedom

"Apart from overthrowing dictatorships or authoritarian governments, there are few means of enabling them to attain their freedom.

"There are protests from media organisations which on occasion do have some effect, but in recent months hopes are being placed on a campaign launched by the World Association of Newspapers for the scrapping of insult laws and criminal defamation by the 48 countries in Africa that still use them."

Louw, who said African dictators will unlikely learn lessons from the downfall of Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, added: "These are the laws ostensibly intended to defend the reputations and status of rulers, parliamentarians, and in many countries heads of police and defence forces, and sometimes cops and civil servants. But these laws are unfortunately used to prevent the publication of information about bad governance, corruption, nepotism and other ills of ruling parties."

41 journalists imprisoned in Africa

Louw, who is also the editor and publisher of Southern Report and a member of the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) media freedom committee, said these draconian and archaic laws have been used by many African governments and courts to send most of the journalists to prison.

A total of 166 journalists are still imprisoned across the world, 41 of them in Africa, according to media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres.

Out of the African tally, Eritrea accounts for 29, Ethiopia three, Sudan four, Rwanda two, and Burundi, Libya and Gambia one each.