In only its second merits judgment, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Court) placed strict limits on penalizing expression, especially that of journalists, in states party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (African Charter). In doing so, the African Court narrowly interpreted the often-criticized “clawback clauses” in the African Charter and relied instead on the tests of necessity, proportionality, and legitimate aim applied by other human rights tribunals to determine the legality of restrictions on rights.
