24 May 2012

Call on Kiribati to clarify newspaper registration process

12:02 pm on 24 May 2012

Advocates of media freedom in the Pacific are wanting the Kiribati government to give a clear timeframe for the country's newspaper registration process.

The Pacific Freedom Forum's concerns about the registration process follows a demand by the government to the Kiribati Independent, launched in December, to cease publications until it has been registered.

The Pacific Co-ordinator for the International Federation of Journalists, and founding member of the Pacific Freedom Forum, Lisa Williams Lahari says it wants to know how long it will take for the newspaper's registration to be approved.

"It's just seeking a bit of clarity around timing and process issues and wanting to see some kind of deadline set by the governing authority in Kiribati so that the workers from the Kiribati Independent and the audiences that they serve, can know what dates are in place and what timelines they're working with."

Lisa Williams Lahari says she believes the newspaper acted on sound legal advice, which was to continue publishing once the required affidavits were filed.