Dili, March 24, 2019 (Lusa) — Former Timorese President José Ramos-Horta defended that political leaders should act with prudence and balance to address defamation and insults on social and traditional media networks without endangering freedom of expression.
Ramos-Horta’s Warning on Press Freedom
“It is necessary to reflect and be very prudent so that the fight against slander, to free defamation, is not also an excuse and an instrument to later curtail freedom of the press and of expression,” the former head of State told Lusa.
“I think we should not shrug our shoulders at the harmful impact of social networks in society. They are individuals who use social networks, but the debate here also arises because there are groups that use online, political parties that use social networks to defame the head of state, insults of all kinds,” he said.
What Sparked the Debate
An exchange of insults — centred on President of the Republic Francisco Guterres Lu-Olo and former president and CNRT leader Xanana Gusmão — rekindled the debate over defamation on social networks in Timor-Leste.
One of the most recent cases involved insults published on the personal Facebook page of Sabino Guntur, MP of the Popular Liberation Party (PLP), one of three parties in the coalition government. The post prompted a letter from Lu-Olo to the President of Parliament expressing concern about the matter.
A Global Context
For Ramos-Horta, Timor-Leste’s debate does not occur in isolation. He noted similar discussions “have been happening all over the world because of the abusive use of social networks in defamation, slander, instigation of violence, racial discrimination, and xenophobia.”
While the debate in Timor-Leste is mainly driven by social media, it also extends to traditional media. Ramos-Horta argued that politicians bear a “special responsibility” to “promote tolerance, coexistence and respect” in society.
Calls for Legal Accountability
Ramos-Horta called for clearer legal frameworks to hold politicians to account:
- MPs cannot shield themselves behind parliamentary immunity to engage in defamation or attacks
- There must be legal instruments that demand responsibility and carry consequences
- “Parliament is not to slander and attack,” he said
Legal Gaps and Enforcement
Combating online defamation is hampered by loopholes in the law, particularly regarding:
- Defamation and the right to privacy
- The presumption of innocence
- Breach of the secrecy of justice
- Ethics and journalistic deontology
Despite these gaps, police have arrested several people for questioning over alleged insults and threats on Facebook in the preceding year.
Facebook’s Outsized Role
With almost a third of Timor-Leste’s population being Facebook users, according to Timor Social, the social network is for many citizens the only source of information — making the stakes of online defamation particularly high.