Mahamadou Danda, Niger’s transitional Prime Minister, is moving towards a full freedom of the press. Already prison sentences for journalists have been lifted and the Niamey House of the Media has been reopened.
During a three-day mass debate that started yesterday, the ruling junta is engaging legal experts, human-rights defenders, and representatives of the media and government to devise future plans and legal actions. Currently the penalty for libelous material has been reduced to a fine.
This action coincides with the junta’s earlier promise of establishing a ‘model democracy’ for Niger, and this reinstituted freedom of the press leaves many hopeful that this goal will be realized.
-Michelle Leung
Source: Afrol News
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