<html><head></head><body lang="en-US" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hi,</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Would like to ask, but don't those laws have a role to play in limiting propagation of offensive media?</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If anyone is arrested for sharing on social media, grossly photos of our dead soldiers; soldiers who are our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons & daughters, then the fine and prison terms should be tripled from what they are as per the current law.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Freedom comes with responsibility, and in this and other similiar cases the latter has been completely pushed aside at the altar of freedom.</div> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="display:initial"></div> <div style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Waithaka Ngigi<br><br>Alliance Technologies<br>www.at.co.ke </div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>Ephraim Percy Kenyanito via kictanet</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Monday, January 25, 2016 2:53 PM</div><div><b>To: </b>Ngigi Waithaka</div><div><b>Reply To: </b>KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions</div><div><b>Cc: </b>Ephraim Percy Kenyanito; Nani.Jansen@mediadefence.org; info@mediadefence.org; Jane Muthoni; ddeya@lawyersofafrica.org; Donald Deya</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [kictanet] BAKE condemns the arrest and intimidation of Kenyans online</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">Dear Listers, Jane and Ali,<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">It is very unfortunate to hear of these case and arrests over last week and the weekend.<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br>What
do you think is the best strategy for us to work together to challenge
the constitutionality of these provisions of the 2013 law; "section 29 of the Kenya Information and
Communications (KICA) Act (2009), as grounds for arrests and
prosecution. Section 29, improper use of a telecommunication system,
says that a person who by means of a licensed telecommunication system
sends a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an
indecent, obscene or menacing character; or (b) sends a message that he
knows to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or
needless anxiety to another person; commits an offence and shall be
liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Ksh. 50,000 or to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both."<br><br>In my opinion, this provision is vague and in contravention with Customary International Law, I refer to <i>The Sunday Times v The United Kingdom</i>
where the European Court of Human Rights stated that the law must be of
‘sufficient precision to enable the citizen to regulate his conduct.’ <br><br>In December 2014, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights ruled that
imprisonment for defamation violates the right to freedom of expression
while criminal laws should only be used in restricted
circumstances. The Court ordered Burkina Faso to change its criminal
defamation laws. Though this case was about criminal defamation, the principle might be interpreted to be the same regarding criminal restriction of free speech: <a href="http://www.mediadefence.org/news/african-court-delivers-landmark-ruling-criminal-libel">http://www.mediadefence.org/news/african-court-delivers-landmark-ruling-criminal-libel</a><br><br></div>In May 2015, In its first judgment on free speech,
the East African Court of Justice ruled that restrictions on the
press imposed through Burundi’s 2013 Press Law violate the right to
press freedom and the right to freedom of expression. (<a href="http://www.mediadefence.org/news/east-african-court-condemns-burundi-press-restrictions">http://www.mediadefence.org/news/east-african-court-condemns-burundi-press-restrictions</a>)<br><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">I think it is that time that we need to brainstorm the best strategy for challenging these provisions in the Kenyan courts and maybe an appeal at the EAC and AU level as from December 2014, they are very interested to set precedent in this area.<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br>Please see
something, I wrote on my personal blog at the beginning of 2014
regarding these laws:
<a href="https://thediaryofaglobalcitizen.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/lets-get-real-about-kenyan-media-laws/">https://thediaryofaglobalcitizen.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/lets-get-real-about-kenyan-media-laws/</a><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">P.S- I have copied Donald Deya from the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) who acted on behalf of the Burundi Journalists’ Union, and Henry and Riva from Article 19 given their experience litigating such cases and MLDI’s Legal Director Nani Jansen given their experience with the Burkina Faso case.<br></div><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><p><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0);font-size:13pt">--</span></p></div>Best Regards,
<p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:rgb(136,136,136)">Ephraim Percy Kenyanito</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:rgb(136,136,136)"></span></p>
<span style="font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:rgb(136,136,136)">Sub-Saharan Africa Policy Analyst<br></span></span><div><span style="font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt"><font color="#888888" face="Arial, sans-serif">Access Now | </font></span></span><a href="http://accessnow.org/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">accessnow.org</a><span style="font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:rgb(136,136,136)"><br><br>tel: (+254)-786-191-930/ (+254)-751-804-120</span>
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<br><div class="gmail_quote">On 25 January 2016 at 12:03, Ali Hussein via kictanet <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div>Jane</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for sharing. This paragraph in the article stands out:-</div><div><br></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">"Police have frequently used section 29 of the Kenya Information and Communications (KICA) Act (2009), as grounds for arrests and prosecution. Section 29, improper use of a telecommunication system, says that a person who by means of a licensed telecommunication system sends a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or (b) sends a message that he knows to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another person; commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Ksh. 50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both."</span></div><div><br></div><div>So sending a message that causes annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety is now a criminal offense?</div><div><br></div><div>If we continue to be intimidated by this then I fear most listers on this list have been offenders many times over.</div><div><br></div><div>As a country we need to review how we engage and of course decency, decorum and etiquette should be foremost in our minds when we post on social media. The question is how do we deal with supposed offenders. And what measurement do we use?</div><div><br></div><div> <br><div><span><b>Ali Hussein</b></span></div><div><span><b>Principal</b></span></div><div><b style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Hussein & Associates</b></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium"><a href="tel:%2B254%200713%20601113" value="+254713601113" target="_blank">+254 0713 601113</a> / 0770906375</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium"><br></div><div><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Twitter: @AliHKassim</span></p><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><font></font></span><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Skype: abu-jomo</span></p><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">LinkedIn: <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim" target="_blank">http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim</a><a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:none"></span></a></span></p><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><font></font></span><p style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"></p><font><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Blog: <a href="http://www.alyhussein.com/" target="_blank">www.alyhussein.com</a></span><br></font></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi</div><div><span><br></span></div>Sent from my iPad</div><div><div class="h5"><div><br>On 25 Jan 2016, at 11:34 AM, Jane Muthoni via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Hello,<br><br></div>This is a statement BAKE has released on the recent arrest and prosecution of Kenyans online. Read more here: <a href="http://www.blog.bake.co.ke/2016/01/24/bake-condemns-the-arrest-and-intimidation-of-kenyans-online/" target="_blank">http://www.blog.bake.co.ke/2016/01/24/bake-condemns-the-arrest-and-intimidation-of-kenyans-online/</a><div><div><div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div>----<br><br></div><div>Kind regards,<br></div><div><br></div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">Jane Muthoni</span> | Administration Manager, Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE)<br><br><span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><i>T: 0733522229, 0704090471</i> | <i>personal - </i>0720 800927</span><br></div>e: <a href="mailto:muthoni@bake.or.ke" target="_blank">muthoni@bake.or.ke</a> w: <a href="http://bake.co.ke" target="_blank">bake.co.ke</a> | b: <a href="http://www.blog.bake.co.ke/" target="_blank">blog.bake.co.ke</a></span> <br><br>skype: <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)">muthoni.gachango</span> | twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/uQweli" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255)"></span></a> <a href="http://twitter.com/cheekynoni" target="_blank">@cheekynoni</a><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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