Media laws

Samoa's parliament unanimously voted to reinstate a criminal libel law previously repealed by the ruling Human Rights Protection Party four years ago.

The bill targets unidentified bloggers the government says write defamatory remarks about others.

One such blogger, O Le Palemia, regularly attacks the government of Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi with accusations of corruption and nepotism.

The Samoa Observer's editor Mata'afa Keni Lesa said the new law wouldn't affect bloggers.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said last month he had asked the attorney general to look at reintroducing the law, saying it was a Christian move to protect victims who were being defamed.

The statement followed a number of incidents of people being slandered and attacked on social media.

The acting president of the Journalists Association of Samoa, Rudy Bartley, told the Samoa Observer he shared concerns about the misuse of social media.