S. Sudan's new cybersecurity law alarms journalists

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.

Another journalist, Morris Doga, expressed worry that investigative reporting exposing corruption and other abuses could face punishment under the new law "simply because some officials do not like scrutiny."

"Such reporting could easily be misinterpreted as spreading misinformation," Doga said.
He added that journalists also risk "increased surveillance," as the law authorises the interception of electronic communications in cases involving national security.

The government, however, has hailed the legislation as "historic", saying it establishes a legal framework to protect individuals, institutions and national infrastructure from cyber threats.

Government spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said at a press conference on Thursday that the law "targets abuses, not journalism."

He stressed that "insulting someone personally is not freedom of expression, it is an abuse."

Avoid problems

Last week, the country's Deputy Information Minister David Yau Yau called on journalists to "adopt the language" of the government to avoid "problems".

Freelance journalist Manyang David Mayar, whose reports have in the past been labeled as "anti-regime," fears the law may be "misused to suppress public opinion."
South Sudan has been plagued by civil war, poverty, and corruption since it declared independence from Sudan in 2011.

It ranks 109th (out of 180 countries) in the global press freedom index compiled by the NGO Reporters Without Borders.