Reporters Without Borders have joined the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef), the Media Institute of Southern Africa-South Africa (MISA-SA) and the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) in urging the South African parliament to reject a bill proposed by the government that would open the way to censorship.

The Film and Publications Amendment Bill 2006 is currently being debated by the parliamentary subcommittee for Home Affairs before being submitted to the full parliament. Business Day has quite a good analysis of the issues surrounding it:

The bill discards the very carefully constructed balance between free speech and other rights contained in the original act, reached through extensive consultation 10 years ago. This act is based on the assumption that adults should be free to access any material they choose, with a carefully defined category of material being banned for possession and distribution (such as bestiality).

The bill seeks to reverse these gains and harks back to the Publications Act of 1974, which banned publications if they were considered to be indecent, obscene or offensive to public morals. This is dangerous stuff, and seems to be buoyed by a growing moral conservatism hiding under the guise of protecting women and children. The bill also bans publications on grounds that are far broader than what the constitution provides for, which has serious implications for the media and other publications.

The detailed issues and implications are thoroughly covered in the article. Go read it.

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