FOTP 2013 Full Report

(SBC), which runs the nation’s only television station and two radio stations, more independent.However, the period surrounding the campaign for the May 2011 presidential electionhighlighted the continued bias of the SBC in favor of the ruling Parti Lepep and its candidate,President James Michel, who won reelection. SBC media coverage is still overwhelminglydominated by the government, giving opposition parties only limited access.There have been reports of the government monitoring e-mail, chat rooms, and blogs, andopposition activists alleged that access to their party websites have been blocked by authorities.Individuals are commonly detained, arrested, and eventually released for critical comments aboutgovernment officials posted on social-networking websites. In September, police arrested anddetained blogger Michael Sabadin after he posted on Facebook a picture of a soldier who hadbeen beaten by security personal hired on police contract; Sabadin was later released withoutcharge.Incidents involving attacks or harassment of journalists are uncommon. However, in July2012 police confiscated a camera from the editor of the critical weekly Le Seychellois Hebdowhile he was covering an antinarcotics operation, and deleted the photos he had taken. InNovember 2012, police restricted journalists from interviewing demonstrators taking part in aconstruction strike.The three daily newspapers, including the state-owned Seychelles Nation, rarely publish storiescritical of the government. The weekly Le Seychellois Hebdo, which began publishing in 2011,has taken a more critical stance toward the government. Three other weekly newspapers—Regar,the People, and Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly—are affiliated with political parties. Along withoperating the government-owned television and radio stations, the SBC also relays foreignstations. In 2012, Seychelles was connected to the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System,providing the country with higher bandwidth. About 47 percent of the population accessed theinternet in 2012. Telecommunications companies must submit subscriber information to thegovernment, though the law was not enforced in 2012.Sierra LeoneStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 14Political Environment: 19Economic Environment: 16Total Score: 49Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 59,PF 56,PF 55,PF 53,PF 49,PFSierra Leone’s constitution guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, and respect for pressfreedom and tolerance of opposition criticism appear to be gaining a foothold under PresidentErnest Bai Koroma. However, despite improvements in the general climate, the Public Order Actof 1965 still assigns prison terms of three to seven years for criminal libel and up to one year forthe separate crime of publishing false news. Criminal libel charges apply in some cases evenwhen the defendant can prove the published information to be true, and defendants charged withpublication of false news must prove that they took reasonable measures to verify the330