Cameroon
AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2008
Sector 1:
		
1.1

Freedom of expression, including freedom of the 		
media, are effectively protected and promoted.

Freedom of expression, including freedom of the Media, is 		
guaranteed in the constitution and protected 				
by other pieces of legislation.

ANALYSIS:
“In the preamble of the constitution of the Republic of Cameroon
it is stated; “the freedom of communication, of expression, of the
press... shall be guaranteed under the conditions fixed by law”.
Such freedom is supported by the 1990 law on social communication.
Article 1 of the general provisions of Cameroon’s 1990 freedom of
social communication law guarantees freedom of the press. Article
2(1) of the 1990 law stipulates that freedom of communication applies to all forms of communication. As of now, there are no pieces
of legislation which contradict the provisions of the constitution or
the 1990 law on social communication. In fact there are no criminal
libel or defamation laws in Cameroon. The freedom of social communication law outlines civil remedies for cases of defamation by
the press, stating in Section 1, Article 52 that “the publisher of a
press organ is obliged to publish, in the next issue of his journal,
every rectification addressed to him by a depository of public authority in relation to his duties which were wrongly reported. Article 53 of the same law outlines the obligations of newspapers to
provide a right of reply. Article 57 outlines broadcaster obligations
to provide a right of reply. Thus the constitution of the Republic of
Cameroon and the 1990 law on social communication guarantee and
protect the freedom of expression, including freedom of the media.
However, the problem arises at the level of implementation. For
instance, the text of application of the private audiovisual media
was only adopted in 2000, which is ten years after the law was
promulgated. Article 15 institutes the following financial obligations
for somebody who wishes to create a private radio or television station:
African Media Barometer - Cameroon 2008 			

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