5 December 2003

Alert

MISA applauds withdrawal of subpoena issued to journalist


Incident details

Ranjeni Munusamy

legal action
(MISA/IFEX) - MISA-South Africa (MISA-SA) applauds the Hefer Commission of Inquiry's decision to set aside a subpoena and "invitations" issued to former "Sunday Times" newspaper journalist Ranjeni Munusamy and several other journalists and editors.

In a 5 December 2003 statement, Justice Joos Hefer said he believed that Munusamy's testimony was of "peripheral value." Justice Hefer maintained that Munusamy's appeal to the Constitutional Court to review his judgment, in which he ordered her to testify, could pose an "indefinite delay" to the work of the commission. "I [still believe] that she [should] testify on relevant issues, but her evidence cannot materially affect the outcome. I have accordingly decided to excuse her from testifying," he wrote.



Source

Media Institute of Southern Africa
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
director (@) misa.org
Phone: +264 61 232975
Fax: +264 61 248016
 

More on this case

IPI disappointed by court's decision to reject journalist's right of confidentiality 14 November 2003 High Court dismisses journalist's application for review of subpoena 12 November 2003 Journalists refuse "invitation" to provide information to commission 17 October 2003 Media defence groups condemn Hefer ruling 17 October 2003 Journalists should not be forced to reveal their sources, says IFJ 15 October 2003 Commission subpoenas journalist to reveal source 9 October 2003

South Africa

Prosecutors banned from speaking to media 26 January 2010 eNews journalists subpoenaed after story on criminals' World Cup plans 21 January 2010 New bill threatens media freedom, says MISA 29 October 2009 Unlit petrol bomb thrown into editor's home 16 October 2009 SABC's investigative unit subjected to office raids, questioning, while corporation continues to probe show leak 1 October 2009


 
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