SECTOR 1 Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, are effectively protected and promoted. 1.1 Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, is guaranteed in the constitution and supported by other pieces of legislation. The Constitution of the Republic of Angola guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Section 40 of the Constitution states, in its paragraph 1, that “everyone has the right to freely express, disseminate and share their thoughts, ideas and opinions, through word, image or any other means, and to inform oneself and to be informed, without impediments or discrimination”. This right is further reinforced in paragraph 2 of this same section where it says that “the exercise of the rights and freedoms referred to in the previous paragraph shall not be impeded or limited by any type or form of censorship”. Press freedom is covered under section 44 of the Constitution, which in paragraph 1 provides that the same cannot “be subject to any form of prior censorship of a political, ideological or artistic nature”. Paragraph 2 of this section makes it explicit that “the state ensures pluralism of expression and guarantees difference in ownership format and editorial diversity in the media”. The right to freedom of the press is made operational by law number 7/06 of 15 May, also known as the Press Law, which revokes the previous law number 22/91. Section 5 of the Press Law defines press freedom as translating “into the right to inform, to inform oneself and to be informed through the free exercise of press and corporate activity, without impediments or discrimination”. Paragraph 2 of section 6 of this law determines that “the exercise of press freedom must ensure broad and objective information, democratic pluralism, nondiscrimination and the respect for the public interest”, adding, in paragraph 4, that “no citizen shall be harmed in their private, social and professional life as a result of the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression of thought through the media”. All this may lead to the conclusion that from a purely legal point of view, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are fundamental rights enshrined both in the country’s constitution and in the Press Law. 78 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ANGOLA 2010