Lesotho
Lesotho, a country in South Africa, has scored 88 out of 180 for its 2021 ranking on the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), an annual report that classifies 180 countries based on their levels of media freedom and safety of journalists. The WPFI report is published every year by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in France that aims to protect media freedom.
Over the last five years, Lesotho’s ranking has dropped significantly. In 2017 and 2018 the country’s ranking was 68. In 2019 it was down at 78 and it reached 86 in 2020.
Even though the country’s ranking has not been improved over the years, there has not been a single killed or imprisoned journalist since the beginning of 2021, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) — a non-profit independent organization that aims to protect journalists.
However, according to RSF, “Intimidation of the media has increased to the point that some journalists have had to flee to South Africa while those that have stayed often censor themselves.” Moreover, radio stations and newspapers, which are the main sources of information in Lesotho, have become less independent and outspoken due to regulations introduced by the government in October 2020.
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Freedom in the World (FITW), a report that ranks countries based on political rights and civil liberties, ranked Lesotho 63 out of 100 and has labeled it as “partly free” for 2021. The report is published every year by Freedom House (FH) — an American non-profit NGO that aims to protect political freedom and human rights.
According to FH, one journalist was shot during a protest in 2020 and the photographer of Lesotho Times, Lesotho’s leading weekly newspaper, was physically assaulted the same year by bodyguards.
FITW supported RSF’s statement by claiming, “Journalists are subject to threats and intimidation by the authorities and citizens. Freedom of the press is only indirectly protected under constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression.”
There have also been some improvements in terms of media freedom in Lesotho over the last five years. Basildon Peta, the owner and publisher of Lesotho Times, was accused of criminal defamation in 2016. However, in 2018 CPJ posted an article stating that Lesotho Constitutional Court declared criminal defamation unconstitutional.
“Journalists should never face criminal charges for doing their job,” said CPJ African Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. “Criminal defamation if often used to target critical journalists and we welcome Lesotho joining a group of countries to have found that criminal defamation is incompatible with press freedom,” she added.
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Nikol Nikolova is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Bulgaria. Her biggest passion is writing.
