Campaigners said the criminal libel law was used to stifle the press
Audio By Carbonatix
The International Federation of Journalists has called the repealing of Sierra Leone's criminal libel law "a great victory for freedom of information".
The law, which meant people could be jailed for libellous statements, was repealed on 23 July.
Before that, people could be jailed for up to three years, whether or not what they wrote was true.
That's because the law did not allow truth as a defence, unless you can prove that publishing the truth is in the public interest.
Campaigners have been arguing for more than a decade for the law to be repealed.
Among their complaints was that it was actually used to gag journalists and repress independent and opposition voices.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
NSMQ 2026: Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ going ‘beck’ to Tanoso after Bishop Herman deals them early exit
2 minutes -
Data Protection Commission acquires two vehicles to strengthen data protection enforcement
12 minutes -
NSMQ 2026: Holy Child School storms back from two-year NSMQ absence to book One-Eighth ticket
2 hours -
GNFS dismisses reports of unpaid 2025 rent allowance
3 hours -
Gordon Asare-Bediako steps down from NPP Communications Director race, backs Dennis Aboagye
3 hours -
GES dismisses requirement for newly promoted teachers to submit documents for salary adjustments
3 hours -
Meko Bono 2026: Vice President pledges agricultural revival as Atebubu hosts grand homecoming
4 hours -
Russian skydiver Sergey Boytcov sets world record with 11,551-metre stratosphere jump
4 hours -
Ablakwa-led committee submits five reports to Mahama ahead of 2027 AU chairmanship
4 hours -
Africa not seeking Western cash in reparations campaign – Ablakwa
5 hours -
Production decline, reserve depletion threaten Ghana’s upstream sector – Jinapor
5 hours -
Surveyors caution against treating compensation disputes as professional misconduct
5 hours -
Mahama calls for AU dialogue on migration after South Africa xenophobic tensions
5 hours -
I haven’t experienced any envy in the gospel music industry — Ohemaa Mercy
6 hours -
Prayer does not solve everything — Ohemaa Mercy
6 hours