Lesotho
The general elections in June 2017 may
have heralded new beginnings for a
country dealing with political instability
which resulted in Lesotho heading for
the polls for the third time in five years.
The election came close on the heels
of Democratic Congress (DC) Prime
Minister Pakalitha Mosisili losing a noconfidence motion in March, partially
because his cumbersome 7 party coalition had slowly disintegrated due to
infighting less than two years after him
taking office. This was the second coalition failure in three years.
The disintegration of two successive
coalition governments coupled with
political violence at the highest levels
of political insecurity as a consequence
of internal factional contestation within
the armed forces and tension between
the police and army have had an impact
on the country’s landscape.
While freedom of expression is sluggishly being restored, it has been a challenging period, in particular for the media
sector.
According to an Amnesty International
Report 2017/18, Nkoale Oetsi Tsoana, a
journalist with Moeletsi Oa Basotho, received death threats from Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) supporters in
August while he covered the Directorate
on Corruption and Economic Offences’
investigation into corruption allegations
against LCD leader and former Deputy
Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing.
The same day, Palo Mohlotsane, a PCFM radio journalist, received threats
from the Deputy Leader and members of
the LCD after he covered the same story.
Nthakoana Ngatane, South African
Broadcasting Corporation correspondent, received repeated online death

threats from June onwards, after she reported on possible motives for the killing
of Lipolelo Thabane. On 16 June crowds
gathered outside MoAfrika FM radio station’s offices and threatened the owner,
Sebonomoea Ramainoane, after the station implicated Prime Minister Thabane
in the killing of his wife.

The general elections
in June 2017 may
have heralded new
beginnings for a
country dealing with
political instability
which resulted in
Lesotho heading for
the polls for the third
time in five years.
On 8 September the Maseru Magistrate
Court ordered Sebonomoea Ramainoane, also the station’s editor-in-chief,
to release to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) the station’s audio
recordings of interviews aired between
28 August and 6 September. On 13 September, the authorities closed the station for 72 hours and on 15 September
detained Sebonomoea Ramainoane for
several hours. On 25 September, the Lesotho High Court cancelled the Magistrate Court’s order.
On 29 August, exiled investigative journalist Keiso Mohloboli received online

So This is Democracy? 2017

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