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How Liberia's Government Is Using Ebola to Crack Down on the Media
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/liberia-ebola-press-freedomEbola has already claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people in Liberia. Now, the Liberian president's critics are warning that her response to the epidemic is threatening to undermine the country's fragile democratic institutions.
The controversy began back on August 6 when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced a 90-day state of emergency to deal with the crisis. More recently, Sirleaf wrote a letter to the national legislature requesting the legal authority to suspend a number of civil liberties guaranteed by the country's constitution. If enacted, the measures would give Sirleaf the power to restrict the movement of certain communities by proclamation and even to limit speech that could create "false alarm." The government would also be able to confiscate private property "without payment of any kind or any further judicial process" in order to protect the public's health....
Since declaring a state of emergency, Sirleaf's government has introduced a nationwide curfew, forcing people to stay indoors at night. Against the advice of Ebola experts and Liberian health officials, Sirleaf also ordered the quarantine of an entire slum in Monrovia in an attempt to contain an outbreak in the Liberian capital. (The slum was reopened 10 days later.) This month—with the legislature's backing—Sirleaf suspended a special Senate election, citing a lack of essential staff and materials.
Press freedoms have also been eroded: When the curfew was first announced, journalists were not included on a list of exempted professions able to move freely around the country at night. (They were added six days later.) In early October, citing privacy concerns, the government announced that reporters could be arrested for speaking with Ebola patients or photographing treatment centers without written permission from the health ministry.
The controversy began back on August 6 when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced a 90-day state of emergency to deal with the crisis. More recently, Sirleaf wrote a letter to the national legislature requesting the legal authority to suspend a number of civil liberties guaranteed by the country's constitution. If enacted, the measures would give Sirleaf the power to restrict the movement of certain communities by proclamation and even to limit speech that could create "false alarm." The government would also be able to confiscate private property "without payment of any kind or any further judicial process" in order to protect the public's health....
Since declaring a state of emergency, Sirleaf's government has introduced a nationwide curfew, forcing people to stay indoors at night. Against the advice of Ebola experts and Liberian health officials, Sirleaf also ordered the quarantine of an entire slum in Monrovia in an attempt to contain an outbreak in the Liberian capital. (The slum was reopened 10 days later.) This month—with the legislature's backing—Sirleaf suspended a special Senate election, citing a lack of essential staff and materials.
Press freedoms have also been eroded: When the curfew was first announced, journalists were not included on a list of exempted professions able to move freely around the country at night. (They were added six days later.) In early October, citing privacy concerns, the government announced that reporters could be arrested for speaking with Ebola patients or photographing treatment centers without written permission from the health ministry.
Coming soon to a country near you.
