SECTOR 1 “The Makhubu issue has increased the sense of fear that Swazis have for expressing themselves. No one wants to go to jail and eat thin porridge so they rather keep quiet and say nothing. People feel that if the government wants to, they’ll find a reason to arrest you.” But at the same time, some panellists felt that the Makhubu case has conscientised and sensitised citizens to the fact that their freedom of expression is not absolute. “They are beginning to realise the extent of the problems in Swaziland, particularly at a political and judicial level.” Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 1.6 (2005: 1.6; 2007: 2.1; 2009: 1.7; 2011: 1.8) 1.3 There are no laws or parts of laws restricting freedom of expression such as excessive official secret, libel acts, legal requirements that restrict the entry into the journalistic profession or laws that unreasonably interfere with the functions of media. There are no laws that specifically restrict Swazi journalists from entering the profession, although there is an unwritten ban on foreign journalists operating in the country without accreditation from the information ministry. In 2011, a Senator attempted calling for legislation to censor foreign journalists in an effort to protect the image of the king. This proposal was, however, dismissed by Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, who stated that there was no way the Swazi government could censor the foreign media. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER Swaziland 2014 17