The Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI) congratulated Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas on his government’s partial decriminalisation of defamation in a letter sent last week.

Writing on behalf of the other 27 board members, IPI Board Chair and Head of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism – Foundation 19/29 (Russia) Galina Sidorova said the legislative changes would “strengthen Grenadian democracy for generations to come” and established the country as a “clear leader in freedom of expression guarantees in the Caribbean.”

In addition to recognising Grenada’s achievement, IPI board members encouraged the government to repeal seditious libel provisions in the Grenadian Criminal Code. Section 327 of the Code contemplates prison terms of up to two years for seditious libel and was used to prosecute broadcaster Stanley Charles in 1999. Section 328 establishes defamation or insult of the sovereign as a misdemeanor, which IPI believes may affect journalists’ ability to criticise the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II.

Last month, IPI announced that Grenada had become the first Caribbean country to partially repeal criminal defamation after legislators removed sections Sections 252 and 253 from the Criminal Code in July. IPI, in cooperation with the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM), is currently leading a campaign to abolish criminal defamation in the Caribbean.

Read the full text of the letter below.

The Hon. Tillman J. Thomas
Prime Minister of Grenada

31 October 2012

Dear Prime Minister Thomas:

On behalf of the undersigned members of the International Press Institute (IPI) Executive Board, I would like to warmly congratulate you and your government on the recent partial decriminalisation of defamation in Grenada.

The repeal of sections 252 and 253 of the Grenadian Criminal Code establishes Grenada as a clear leader in freedom of expression guarantees in the Caribbean. Moreover, by removing barriers to the free flow of information and encouraging the growth of critical, investigative journalism, this important libel reform will strengthen Grenadian democracy for generations to come.

Our view, which is supported by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom is Expression, is that defamation allegations are best handled by civil courts, provided that any punitive measures are proportionate and designed to restore the reputation of the plaintiff and not to punish the media.

In view of your government’s apparent intention to bring Grenada’s media-related laws in line with international standards, I would like to respectfully remind you that seditious libel remains a criminal offence under Section 327 of the Grenadian Criminal Code. This provision has been used in recent times to prosecute journalists, most notably broadcaster Stanley Charles in 1999. I encourage you to further strengthen press freedom in Grenada by repealing Section 327 along with Section 328, which establishes defamation or insult of the sovereign as a misdemeanor.

At our 2012 World Congress in Trinidad and Tobago, IPI members approved the “Declaration of Port of Spain”, which calls for the abolition of criminal defamation and insult laws in the Caribbean in support of strong and independent media. Please find attached a copy of the declaration, your support for which we would gladly welcome.

Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your commitment to this issue. As IPI, in cooperation with the Association of Caribbean MediaWorkers (ACM), continues its campaign to repeal criminal defamation laws across the Caribbean, we are hopeful that other countries will follow your courageous lead.

Sincerely,

Galina Sidorova
Executive Board Chair
International Press Institute

For:

Board Vice-Chairs
Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Editor-in-Chief & CEO, Boishakhi TV, Bangladesh
Simon Li, Editorial and Leadership Consultant; Former Assistant Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, USA
Pavol Múdry, Founder and former General Manager, SITA-Slovak News Agency, Slovakia

Board Members
Owais Aslam Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Press International (PPI), Pakistan
Ryan Blethen, Associate Publisher and Director, New Product Strategies, The Seattle Times, USA
George Brock, Professor and Head of Journalism, City University, UK
Victor de la Serna, Deputy Editor, El Mundo, Spain
Carl-Eugen Eberle, Former Director of Legal Affairs, ZDF German Television, Germany
Michael Ehrenreich, Co-Editor, Kristeligt Dagblad, Denmark
Alexandra Föderl-Schmid, Editor-in-Chief, Der Standard, Austria
Linus Gitahi, Group CEO, Nation Media Group, Kenya
Daniel Hadad, CEO, Grupo Infobae, Argentina
Ferial Haffajee, Editor-in-Chief, City Press, South Africa
Tom Hetland, Editor, Stavanger Aftenblad, Norway
So-Whan Hyon, Editor-in-Chief, News and News.com, South Korea
Edit Inotai, Foreign Editor, Nepszabadsag, Budapest, Hungary
Radomir Licina, Member of the Board & Senior Editor, Danas, Serbia
Ken MacQuarrie, Director, BBC Scotland, UK
Umud Mirzayev, Chairman, International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), Azerbaijan
Mikael Pentikäinen, Publisher & Senior Editor-in-Chief, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland
N. Ravi, Director, The Hindu, India
Markus Spillmann, Editor-in-Chief, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland
Piotr Stasinski, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Gazeta Wyborcza, Publisher, Agora SA, Poland
Dawn Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, One Caribbean Media Ltd., Trinidad & Tobago
Ferai Tinç, Former Foreign Editor and Columnist, Hürriyet, Turkey
Toshihiko Uji, Advisor and Special Editorialist, Chunichi Shimbun, Japan
Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman, Media Trust Ltd, Nigeria