(MISA/IFEX) – The Journalists Association of Namibia (JAN) has launched a campaign against a self-empowering motion which has implications for freedom of speech and of the press. The Namibian Parliament wants to move a motion to empower itself to subpoena and demand sources of information from members of the public, including the media, as and […]
(MISA/IFEX) – The Journalists Association of Namibia (JAN) has
launched a campaign against a self-empowering motion which has
implications for freedom of speech and of the press. The Namibian
Parliament wants to move a motion to empower itself to subpoena
and demand sources of information from members of the public,
including the media, as and when it feels like. The motion,
announced in Parliament on 8 September 1997, will make it a
criminal offence to disregard a parliamentary subpoena or refuse
to divulge information and its source. The motion is raised under
the Parliamentary Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act of 1996.
The Act further prohibits the media from interviewing
parliamentarians on matters of public interest before they are
tabled in the house.
**For background, see IFEX press release/action dated 22
September 1997; for background on Parliamentary Powers,
Privileges and Immunities Act of 1996, see IFEX alerts dated 9
May, 26 and 23 April 1996**
On 19 September, JAN issued a statement lobbying parliamentarians
against supporting the motion.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
promoting media freedom and free expression, as demonstrated by
the decision by Parliament in 1996 to scrap clauses in the draft
Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act which
threatened to violate these rights
consider a motion which would have a similar effect as the two
scrapped clauses, and which would also empower parliamentary
committees to subpoena and force journalists to reveal their
sources of information
Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament Act threaten to
stifle the flow of information between the government and the
public, and thus undermine the right of the public to be informed
on matters of public interest; and that these pieces of
legislation are in breach of Article 21 of the Namibian
Constitution, which guarantees media freedom and free expression
media freedom and free expression by rejecting the parliamentary
motion, and scrapping sections of the Powers, Privileges and
Immunities of Parliament Act related to forcing people to reveal
sources of information to parliamentary committees
Appeals To
Dr Mose Tjitendero
Speaker of the Namibian Parliament
Private Bag 13323
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 2889111
Fax: +264 61 226899Copies to:
His Excellency President Sam Nujoma
State House
Private Bag 13339
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 220010
Fax: +264 61 221770/227491
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
