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Media Defence The African Union has affirmed the importance of freedom of expression as a "cornerstone of democracy and a means of ensuring respect for all rights and freedoms." Freedom of expression and of the media must be protected and promoted if the democratization process in Southern Africa is to be consolidated and deepened. This may be achieved through educational seminars, advocacy and litigation at the domestic, regional and international level around these issues. If litigation strategies are to be effective it is critical that adjudicating courts be independent, impartial and competent and lawyers should have the legal capacity and expertise to fully inform presiding judges. The relevant domestic constitutions should guarantee human rights and in particular freedom of expression and of the media. There should be freedom of expression and information legislation that is consistent with human rights standards in domestic constitutions, regional and international human rights instruments. The use of comparative law in litigation strategies will be critical to ensure success. The programme was thus designed in view of the widespread violations of freedom of expression and the media in Southern Africa. The type of violations include censorship, restrictive control and regulation of the media by the state, threats of economic and criminal sanctions against critical newspapers and journalists, criminal defamation and insult laws, threats of extra-judicial physical harm against investigative journalists and absence or under-utilization of access to information legislation. SALC’s Work Collaboration with local, regional and international media organizations and lawyers concerned for freedom of expression and of the media through:
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