One of the most significant human rights organisations in
Swaziland has called on the Times Sunday to
take action against its columnist who wrote hate speech against homosexuals in the
newspaper.
The Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations
(the Coalition) condemned the writer Qalakaliboli Dlamini who used words such
as ‘satanic’ and ‘evil’ in an article about homosexuals in the kingdom.
Already readers of the newspaper, part of the only independent
newspaper group in the kingdom, have condemned the article as ‘pathetic’ and ‘bigoted’.
Now, Musa Hlophe, coordinator of the Coalition, has written
to Mbingo Mbongeni, managing editor of the Times
newspapers, to express ‘profound disappointment’ at the publication of the
article.
Hlophe, who is also a columnist for the same newspaper, wrote,
‘His use of words such as “satanic” and “evil” to describe the LGBTI [lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexed] community and to say that homosexuality
must be stopped are quite simply hate speech and have no place in a newspaper
of national record. Your professional and ethical commitment to openness
does not have to extend to giving a national, and international, platform to
irrational bigotry, and incitements to hatred.’
Hlophe wrote, ‘We believe that the Times Group must take
specific and positive action to rectify this situation, and to tell its readers
what those actions are.’
See also
READERS ATTACK ‘TIMES’ FOR GAY HATE
No comments:
Post a Comment