MAURITIUS SCORES: Individual scores: 4,3,3,4,3,4,3,4,3,3 Average score: 3.4 1.2 The right to freedom of expression is practiced and citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights without fear. ANALYSIS: Generally speaking, citizens as well as journalists in Mauritius have no fear of expressing themselves freely. But there are some situations that may be different. The law on defamation in Mauritius is one of the toughest of its kind in any democratic country. The fear of being sued either civilly or criminally is always present when writing an article. Although no journalist has been imprisoned for such an offence yet, media practitioners take a maximum of precautions. The question they ask themselves is not “What should I write”, but “What can I write?” The fact that Mauritius is a very small island, where everybody knows everybody else, amplifies the fear of being sued. The plaintiffs in the majority of defamation cases against journalists are politicians. There seems to be a kind of constant psychological warfare between journalists and politicians and the initiation of defamation cases is part of it. In a small society with such a variety of cultures and religions there is always the need to strive for a balance of social harmony to “keep a lid on the pressure cooker”. Religion is closely interlinked with politics. Many Mauritians feel restricted in their personal freedom by the need to be cautious at all times not to infringe on the feelings of members of other cultures. The education system does not help in this regard as there is no encouragement “to think out of African Media Barometer - Mauritius 2008 5