JUBA: South Sudan journalists have raised alarm over a new cybersecurity law they fear could undermine press freedom in the world´s youngest nation, as it grapples with renewed tensions across several regions.
In recent weeks, hostilities have escalated between supporters of President Salva Kiir and those of his longtime rival Riek Machar, particularly in Jonglei State in the centre-east, where at least 280,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
Several journalists who spoke to AFP warned of possible misuse of the new legislation signed into law this week by Kiir, drawing parallels to the national security law “which has restricted press freedom since independence,” according to multimedia journalist Woja Emmanuel Wani.
“Having worked in a harsh media environment marked by unlawful interference in journalistic work, arrests without warrants...killing of journalists without accountability, this law raises serious concerns about the future of a free press,” Wani said.
According to the latest version of the law seen by AFP, publishing false information “with the intention of defaming, threatening, insulting, deceiving, or misleading” is now punishable by up to five years in prison.
The legislation also criminalises the publication of any communication deemed “harmful, abusive, or inappropriate,” carrying a two-year jail sentence.
