RI among countries that have scrapped insult laws: USINFO

Karin Karlekar, from the nonpartisan group Freedom House, told USINFO that a number of countries, especially in Latin America and Africa, are eliminating the laws. Violation of insult laws can lead to journalists being thrown into jail or slapped with exorbitant fines.

Karlekar`s organization reports that Indonesia`s Constitutional Court recently declared unconstitutional laws that banned insulting the country`s president and vice president. That decision preceded a July ruling by the Indonesian court overturning two provisions that criminalized defaming the government.