In Liberia, Journalists will not be arrested anymore for defaming and insulting the public, thus giving them greater freedom to operate.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, has signed (Saturday) the Table Mountain Declaration which calls for repeal of criminal defamation and “insult” laws journalists are usually charged with.
The Table Mountain Declaration is an international initiative being championed by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the World Editors Forum, the African Editors Forum and Liberia’s media advocacy group, President Union of Liberia.
The statement seeks to halt the continuous detention of journalists and closure of media houses on charges of defamation by governments for “insulting” authorities.
President Sirleaf is the second African leader after Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou to sign the Declaration since its adoption at the World Newspaper Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in 2007.
The ceremony which took place in the office of the President at the Foreign Ministry in the capital Monrovia, was attended by the president of the World Association of Newspapers, Xavier Vidal-Folch, among other members of the international community.
Prior to signing the declaration, President Sirleaf reiterated her commitment to advancing freedom of expression and free press not just in Liberia but the entire African Continent, noting that these attributes were the foundation of democracy.
She said the fact that Liberia was not among the 27 African countries where 229 journalists were imprisoned in 2007 also demonstrates her government’s commitment to free expression and free press.
She said setting freedom of speech and free press in Africa is one of her over-arching goals, as evidenced by the passage by her of the Freedom of Information Act in 2010 and the Access to Free Press Act in 2011.
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