Media freedom advocates in Swaziland
have criticised the kingdom’s top law officer for demanding a photojournalist
give evidence for the police in a court case.
The Media Institute of
Southern Africa (MISA) described the move by the Director of Public
Prosecutions as an attack on the journalism profession.
Photojournalist Simon
Shabangu of the Swazi Observer is
being forced to give evidence on behalf of the police against two school
teachers who are charged with a public disorder offence during a protest march
in Mbabane in February 2016. Shabangu took photographs of the demonstration and
the newspaper published some of them.
Mbabane Magistrates Court has
issued subpoena compelling Shabangu to testify.
Vuyisile Hlatjwayo,
Director of MISA – Swaziland, said forcing Shabangu to give evidence on
pictures he took while in the line of duty would compromise the ethics of the
journalism profession.
On Thursday (11 January
2018) the Swazi Observer reported him
saying, ‘Not only that, members of the public would lose confidence in
journalists if the state would be allowed to call them at any time to give
evidence on activities undertaken while in the line of duty.
‘This also has the
potential of setting journalists against the public since people will no longer
call the media to their events for the fear that they (journalists) would in
turn testify against them in court. This is a very bad precedent we should all
frown upon.’ he said.
The case continues in
February 2018.
See also
‘EDITOR FLEES AFTER DEATH
THREAT’
SWAZI
GOVERNMENT FORCES NEWSPAPER TO CLOSE
JOURNALISTS
‘SCARED TO DO THEIR JOBS’
https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/journalists-scared-to-do-their-jobs.html
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