Testifying for media freedom - but at what price

CPJ have done a great story on one of the key witnesses in the Chief Manneh case at the ECOWAS Court of Justice. It's both impressive and disturbing - having given evidence against the Gambian government, Ousman Darboe has had to give up his job and his life in the Gambia and is now in what amounts to a witness protection programme in the United States, with his wife and children. It's a stark illustration of the difficulties encountered in bringing impunity cases, and something not to be ignored. It raises a legitimate question: was this too high a price for getting a judgment against the Gambia? Perhaps not - the Manneh case set an important standard and helped put the ECOWAS court on the map as a realistic avenue for redress for human rights abuses - but the price paid by witnesses is an important factor to take into account.

Sedition: Gambian journalist convicted, Malaysian cases continue

Sedition laws continue to be abused around the world to suppress critical voices. In the Gambia, it was today reported that a journalist was convicted of sedition and given a choice between a USD12K fine or four years imprisonment with hard labour. Over on the other side of the globe, in Malaysia, the rich and powerful continue to abuse sedition laws to suppress critical (and sometimes not only very harshly critical, but also prima facie defamatory) voices. The latest to join the current fray is Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, a successful lawyer, who has lodged proceedings against Malaysia Today editor Reja Patra (though he'll have to join the queue as Petra has many charges pending against him).

My problem with that: sedition laws are skewed in favour of the plaintiff and they allow for very harsh sanctions, as the Gambian case demonstrates. They are a hangover from the colonial era, when they were used to keep the locals down, and I believe they should be fought hard: the Gambian case should be brought before the ECOWAS court, and a constitutional challenge should be brought in Malaysia.