07 Oct 10 | Index Index, minipost
Liberia has become the first West African nation to introduce a Freedom of Information Act. In a move welcomed by free expression groups across the country, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf signed the new legislation on the 4 October. The law comes after two years of intense lobbying by the Centre of Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) and other members of the Liberia Freedom of Expression Coalition. According to presidential press secretary Cyrus Wleh Badio, the president is to be honoured with an award from the African Editors’ Forum.
10 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Libel lawsuits against Liberia’s independent media are being used to silence dissenting voices in the West African country, according to Tom Kamara, editor-in-chief of the New Democrat. In an interview with Liberia Webs, Kamara expressed concern that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government may be using state resources to influence libel cases against the media. He cited the fine his newspaper received for libelling the Consolidated Group, after it published a story focusing on the company’s purchase of “useless” road building equipment for the government. Last week, the Centre for Media Studies & Peace Building accused Liberia’s government of resorting to intimidation to censor the media.
05 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The Liberian government has been accused of resorting to intimidation to censor the nation’s media. The Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP) has published its 2009 review of threats to freedom of expression, which urges the government to recognise the rights of others to dissent. Malcolm Joseph, Executive Director of the CEMESP, said that the use of intimidation as a means of enforcing conformance “is a treachery”. Highlighting the validity of the report, Liberian journalists were this week denied access to a meeting between former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Vice President Joseph Boakai. The CEMESP said that these tactics were more reminiscent of the regimes of Charles Taylor and Samuel Doe, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange reported.
01 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The independent newspaper Heritage has accused the Liberian government of carrying out political censorship after it was unable to publish its February edition because of state interference. The publication’s management revealed that the commercial printers Dremags refused to publish the newspaper on 7 February after receiving a warning from the National Security Agency against including a story related to the audit of a senior Grand Bassa County official. The Press Union of Liberia has previously strongly condemned the government’s policy of harassing printing houses whenever there an unfavorable story is circulated. Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – the only female elected head of state in Africa – had vowed in 2006 to uphold the principles of freedom of expression during her premiership.
