Lesotho JOURNALIST SAFETY The media sector saluted the eventual arrest of the soldiers who allegedly shot Lesotho Times editor, Lloyd Mutungamiri in 2016. His attackers had remained free as the second coalition government was not interested in taking legal action against members of the army involved in criminal activities. They were eventually arrested towards the end of 2017. At the time of writing, the suspects were still remanded in custody with their case set to be heard during 2018. The arrest was viewed as an attempt by government to end impunity in Lesotho. Generally, journalists in Lesotho are at risk when they come up against the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF). In May, Motsamai John Talla, a wellknown presenter of the People’s Choice FM based in Maseru was followed by a suspicious vehicle which was later found to be driven by members of the LDF. Upon realising he was followed, Talla sought refuge at the Thetsane Police Station and posted the incident on Facebook. At the police station, the LDF members claimed that they were simply eager to meet Talla as he was such a well known presenter in Maseru. In a separate incident, two presenters of Motjotli FM – a community radio station of the Thaba-Tseka district – were arrested by the district police for allegedly calling a police’s wife “mosali” (woman) on air. In the latter part of the year, one of the two reporters was re-arrested for allegedly grabbing a girl and stealing her money. However, during their interrogation the police kept telling him that radio presenters were arrogant and bigheaded. The presenter was physically assaulted and released without charge. Another incident which involved Palo Mohlotsane and Nkoale Ts’oana of People’s Choice FM and Moeletsi Oa Basotho newspaper, was reported earlier in the broadcast section of this report. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ONLINE WhatsApp, Facebook and Websites While WhatsApp is used by civic groups as a platform for organised communication, Facebook still led as the most vibrant online platform for exchange of ideas and information as well as a forum for debate. The platform places pressure on the government, as some groups, like Count Down to Election, carry information from well-placed sources in the government of Lesotho. Facebook in Lesotho is a useful and effective platform for publishing serious assertions, which often turn out to be factual. It had thus become very strategic in influencing the political agenda of the 2017 national assembly elections. In the year under review Facebook has seen a number of advertising groups in Lesotho. Most of the groups are run by youth and vigorous business marketing was pushed out on these platforms. Some of them have proved to have reached as many as 30 000 people which is considered enough of a customer base to conduct a viable business in Lesotho. Websites were less popular due to poor content generation. Most websites in Lesotho are not functional as they merely carry information relating to organisations’ names and business background in general terms but there were no updates on day-to-day operations. Government websites were similarly neglected. So This is Democracy? 2017 47