Namibia: Journalist wins libel case against Swapo

April 17th, 2012

Freelance journalist John Grobler has won a libel case against Namibia’s ruling Swapo party. On Friday (13 April), the party was ordered to pay Grobler 300,000 Namibian dollars (27,300 GBP) in damages in connection to defamatory statements made about him on the party’s website in September 2009. This is the first time that Swapo itself — rather than an individual party officeholder — has been held legally accountable over libelous statements made on a party platform. It is also the first time that online content has led to someone being held liable for defamation in the country.

China censors president’s son corruption case

July 23rd, 2009

China’s Propaganda Department has ordered media and news websites to censor reports about a corruption case with links to President Hu Jintao’s son. Nuctech, a Chinese company that until 2007 was headed by Hu’s son Hu Haifeng, is alleged to have bribed a Namibian company in order to sell airport security scanners to Namibia.  Read more here

Namibia frees “seal journalists”

July 20th, 2009

Two journalists have been released after paying an undisclosed “heavy fine” at a Namibian court after being arrested for filming the annual seal cull, which involves clubbing seal pups to death. Jim Wilckens from the UK and South African cameraman Bart Smithers were allegedly attacked with clubs by seal hunters before being arrested. Read more here