South African parliament approves secrecy bill‎

South African parliament approves secrecy bill‎

2011-11-23 21:39:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAPE TOWN (BNO NEWS) -- South Africa's lower house of parliament on Tuesday passed a new bill aimed at protecting state secrets, despite widespread opposition, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Protection of State Information Bill (POIB) passed with 229 members of parliament voting in favor and 107 against. The ruling African National Congress used its overwhelming majority to push the bill through, News 24 reported.

The bill came before the National Assembly in Cape Town as protests against the bill took place in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and the Mother City. South Africa National Editors' Forum (Sanef) chairperson Mondli Makhanya said its editors are "broken inside."

"All of us here, we are broken inside," said Makhanya, who was surrounded by the editors of some of South Africa's largest news organizations on the steps outside the National Assembly. "We never thought we would come here dressed in black to witness the Constitution of our country being betrayed by those who built it."

Makhanya said the battle against the bill is not over and that editors will work with unions and civil society to fight it. Makhanya added he is confident that the proposed law will be defeated if taken to the Constitutional Court.

The bill criminalizes possession and publication of classified information and punishes the latter with up to 25 years in prison, if espionage is involved. Critics say that it should include a public interest defense, which would enable journalists and others who published classified information to argue that they had done so in the public interest.

The bill still has to be approved by the National Council of Provinces next year.

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