Criminal libel law repealed

Parliament has unanimously repealed the Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws.

This followed the passage of the Criminal Code (Repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Laws (Amendment Bill), Act 2001 last Friday.

With the amendment, any prosecution instituted under any of the repealed sections, the proceedings of which are pending before any court or tribunal shall cease.

According to the amendment, proceedings shall not be instituted in respect of any offence under any of those sections shall be deemed to have been discharged.

Debate on the issue, which lasted two days, was hectic, and although most of the MPs favoured the repeal of the law, others, particularly on the Minority side, however, asked the House to take a critical look at the issue.

A memorandum on the bill presented to the House by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stated, "the purpose of the bill is to fulfill the promise of repeal, and thereby demonstrate the Kufour government's determination to make good its promise to the nation".

It said the repeal is evidence of the sincerity of the New Patriotic Party government's commitment to the process of democratic consolidation in the country.

The memorandum further stated that the repeal of these laws, which were enacted during the colonial period to frustrate the freedom of the people and perpetuate servitude, should have been done at the time the country gained independence.

It stated that, unfortunately such laws were maintained and, in some cases were even extended during the one-party state of the First Republic and have up to date remained in the statute books.

The memorandum said these laws have come to symbolize authoritarian, anti-democratic impulses within Ghana's body politics which the media have been virtually and vociferously unanimous in demanding their repeal.

According to the memorandum, such laws are unworthy of a society seeking to develop on democratic principles on the basis of transparency and accountability in public life.

The repeal of the law was one of the major campaign promises of the NPP government during the run-up to the 2000 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The repeal of the law has received general acclamation by the public, including media practioners.

But observers believe that journalists would do themselves and the nation a lot of good, if they reciprocate the gesture through the practice of responsible journalism.