45 SOUTHERN AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019-2020 Beyond the Prime Minister’s statement, Lesotho has several laws that impinge on media freedom and freedom of expression, such as the Printing and Publishing Act of 1967, section 10 (1); the Official Secrets Act of 1967, section 4; the Internal Security (General) Act of 1984: section 34; the Sedition Proclamation 44 of 1938 and the Obscene Publications Act of 2012. ACCESS TO INFORMATION There is no access to information law in Lesotho and this makes it difficult for both private and public media to fulfil their role. The constitution does not guarantee direct access to information. According to the study, only 30% of the institutions displayed an average level of openness in allowing access to public information. ONLINE FREEDOM In January 2020 there were over 900 000 internet users in Lesotho. Internet penetration in the country stood at 44% against 20% (430 000) social media penetration. Attempts to legislate access to information started with the Access and Receipt of Information Bill of 2000, to effect the constitutional right of freedom of expression. (74) During the period under review, the Lesotho Communications Authority introduced rules that will subject users of the internet, social media and bloggers to the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority (Broadcasting) Rules of 2004, which gives the LCA powers to impose a fine or penalty to licence holders who fail to comply with their licence conditions. However, 20 years after its drafting, the Bill has not been passed into an Act of Parliament, despite several campaigns by civil society organisations. The LCA also issued a draft of its Internet Broadcasting Rules 2020. The authority invited the public and media industry stakeholders to submit comments on the proposed rules. (75) Accessing public information in the country is very difficult. The ability to access it depends on the willingness of officials working in public institutions. Through these rules, the government is seeking to regulate online behaviour, compelling social media users with more than 100 followers to register with the communications authority and obtain an internet broadcasting allowance. The Lesotho 2020 Transparency Assessment revealed that 70% of the sampled ten public institutions and government ministries denied access to reasonable information requests, or acted with high levels of secrecy. Under the proposed bill, an internet broadcaster is anyone who posts any text, image, or photograph accessible to at least 100 users. The proposed rules would also give the LCA powers to remove internet users’ posts.