· ALERT Date: May 27, 2005. Persons/Institutions: Masupha Jobo Violation: Threatened On May 27 2005, Masupha Jobo, who also hosts “Tsa Kajeno”, a sports show broadcast on CR FM, was summoned out of the studio to appear before the CR FM management and a delegation of the Lesotho Football Association (LEFA), which was comprised of the LEFA chief executive officer, Kholoang Mokalanyane, and a member of the LEFA executive committee, Thabo Pule. The LEFA delegation complained that Jobo was promoting negative publicity about the national soccer body in his programme. · ALERT Date: April 16, 2005. Persons/Institutions: Makoanyane Ramarothole Violation: Beaten Makoanyane Ramarothole, a photo journalist with the weekly English newspaper, Public Eye, was severely assaulted by students of the Lesotho Agricultural College and members of their Students’ Representative Council (SRC) during annual beauty pageant of the college, which was held on April 16, 2005. Public Eye newspaper had received an invitation to provide coverage at this annual event and sent Ramarothole to cover the pageant. The photo journalist was duly allowed into the hall where the event was held and when he took out his camera to capture the event in pictures, one student hurled vulgarities at the photo journalist and started beating him with clenched fists, kicking and insulting him further. The Journalist’s pleas that he came to the occasion per invitation from a media house fell on deaf ears as more and more students joined in to assault him even further. · ALERT Date: April 20, 2005. Persons/Institutions: Khutliso Sekoati Violation: Threatened Khutliso Sekoati , a journalist working for the weekly English newspaper, Public Eye, was harassed by Lesotho’s Chief Magistrate, Mr. Molefi Makara. Sekoati was covering a court case presided over by Magistrate Makara, when before the case began, the Chief Magistrate ordered the reporter to stand up, and asked him what he wanted in his courtroom, as he (Sekoati) was nothing but a liar. The journalist was covering a case against a certain Hanif Tayob, who was arrested at Moshoeshoe I International airport on April 20, 2005, in the unlawful possession of US$220 950, which was in contravention with the monetary exchange control regulations. Sekoati indicated that the Magistrate informed him that the article he had written earlier had tarnished his image and was a product of an individual who was yelping for Makara’s demise in the legal profession. The Chief Magistrate, Sekoati asserted, also threatened to sue the tabloid newspaper he worked for in his personal capacity, for allegedly damaging his integrity, and demanded an apology as he considered the article to be in contempt of court. However, having gone through the trial records, Sekoati resolved that he was going to stand his ground and that the article had been fair and objective. Chief Magistrate Makara recused himself from the case, which was heard on May 9, 2005. · ALERT Date: March 21, 2005. Persons/Institutions: Bethuel Thai, Khutliso Sekoati Violation: Legislation On March 21 2005, “Public Eye” editor-in-chief Bethuel Thai and journalist Khutliso Sekoati So This Is Democracy? 2005 -59- Media Institute of Southern Africa