Lesotho 2016 violations & victories May 6 Attacked/Death Threats A blogger and the National of Lesotho University lecturer on Political Science and Public Administration Professor Mafa Sejanamane was shot at by unknown assailants. Neither the professor nor his family were injured. To date no one has been arrested. Sejanamane manages a blog, Lesotho Analysis, which has often criticised the implementation of recommendations of the Southern Africa Development Community’s (SADC) report on Commission of Inquiries on circumstances that led to the killing of the late Lesotho Defence Force commander Lt. Gen. Maaparankoe Mahao. June Reporter and current affairs presenter Bongani Faki at Harvest FM radio reported that he had received death threats from an unknown man. According to Faki, the man arrived at his house and questioned his children about his whereabouts. The unknown man allegedly pulled out a gun from under the blanket he was wearing, pointed it at the children and instructed them to tell Faki that his life would end. Faki suspected that the threat was as a result of him announcing that children could attend the Army Day commemoration that was celebrated locally on July 2, 2016, in Maseru. July 9 The Lesotho Times newspaper editor Lloyd Mutangamiri was shot at the gate of his lower Thamae residence in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, just before midnight. Lloyd was returning from his of- fice after completing the Sunday Express edition, a sister newspaper of Lesotho Times. Police confirmed that a single bullet was fired and that Mutangamiri suffered severe trau-ma, particularly to his mouth. He was hospitalised under 24-hour police security. On July Mutangamiri was relocated to Bloemfontein in South Africa, for medical attention. June 23 Charged Mutangamiri was shot just a week after his employer, Lesotho Times publisher Basildon Peta was charged with defamation and crimen injuria with regard to the contents of the June 23 edition of the newspaper’s satirical column titled Scrutator. The column carried an article about the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander and the Lesotho Cabinet, headlined ‘Flicker of hope for my beloved Kingdom….’. The column was written in the wake of an announcement by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili that the government had decided to “engage General Kamoli on a mutually agreeable solution” in light of interna-tional calls that he be relieved of his post. August 25 Threats Presenter, Moseketsi Nkuebe of Thaha-Khube FM radio received a visit from officers of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) regarding a programme he had aired. When they were granted an audience, the officers said that they were denouncing all statements made by the guest on the show who was the Secretary General of the LCS staff Associa-tion, Lebonajoang Ramohalali. The guest was on suspension from the LCS at the time... Ramohalali was analysing a recently enacted Lesotho Correctional Service Act, 2016. August 29 At a press conference held by Matefo Makhalemele, the LCS Acting Commissioner, he stated that Assistant Superintendent Neo Mopeli who was in company of a bodyguard and another officer had been sent by the LCS to ThahaKhube FM to respond to Lebonajoang Ramohalali. Following publication of the story by Lesotho Times Newspaper and the issuing of a media alert by MISA Lesotho - both the manager Thaha-Khube and the presenter together with the LCS commissioner issued a jointly signed statement dismissing the Lesotho Times report as lies. The official statement has the stamps of both LCS and Thaha-Khube FM. The Lesotho Times boss was accused of being a terrorist following his paper’s report on the exit package negotiations between the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Commander and Lesotho Government. Bokang Ramats’ella requested the right of reply to an article that had appeared in the paper. When he was told that the paper would only accept the material if they were allowed to edit material he then decided to deal with the matter in his own way. Speaking on Ts’enolo FM, Ramatsella accused him of being American spy. The presenter Moruti Ts’ehla added that Lesotho Times reporter Billy Ntaote was sent to US for training Ntaote was said to have been sent to the US on a Nelson Mandela Fellowship Since the case against Lesotho Times boss was filed in court, there has been a report that the newspaper was facing closure. The report by the Newsday [27th July-2nd August, 2016 volume 1 no] also alleged that Scrutator a column which Peta was charged with writing, was written by Keiso Mohloboli. In response to the Newsday story on the closure, Lesotho Times retaliated through its Scrutator column of August 11-17, 2016, by criticising Rethabile Sello for publishing “a paper called Newsday’. The columnist suggested Sello open a carwash outlet rather than producing a paper that is an embarrassment to journalism and media standards. November 9 Arrested Machesetsa Mofomobe - the spokesperson of the Basotho National Party handed himself in at the Mabote Police Station after learning that the Lesotho Mounted Police, Lesotho Defence Force, National Security Service and the Lesotho Correctional Service had launched a joint operation to search for him. Following his arrest, Mr Mofomobe was transferred to Police Headquarters. According to a report in the Sunday Express he was allegedly wanted in connection with the possession and dissemination of confidential government information. This was after he allegedly took and published pictures at Police Minister Monyane Moleleki’s Qoatsaneng Hill home after the latter’s arrival from a working visit to Russia and Iran last month.