subject: Agreement between the State and the Sentinelle to end the boycott of journalists [print this page] Agreement between the State and the Sentinelle to end the boycott of journalists
Reporters from The Sentinel Ltd. will now have access to press conferences and official functions organized by departments. The State is committed to the Supreme Court, in this June 14, not to deny access to journalists from The Sentinel Ltd., to press conferences and official functions organized by the government.
To honor this commitment, an agreement was signed between the representative of the State and those of the newspaper group, in the presence of the judge Bushan Domah. It states that, the Attorney General has declared that the Government will ensure that members of the media of the complainant, The Sentinel, will be included in the list of newspapers and radio invited to ceremonies and official press conferences.
La Sentinelle Ltd had, on May 31 last, asked the Supreme Court with an injunction to prohibit the government to refuse access to journalists of the newspaper group at official and ministerial press conferences. Raj Meetarbhan and Darlmah Naeck, respectively chief editor of the Sunday Express and 5-Plus had sworn affidavits to that effect.
This request followed the ban on journalists from the Sunday Express, 5-Plus and Radio One to attend a press conference of the Minister of Finance, Pravind Jugnauth, Thursday, May 27. He had met the press at the Government House to discuss a subject of public interest. He commented on the situation in the Employees Investment Trust, an investment fund which thousands of employees are shareholders. Elvissen Adaken, a journalist from Radio One, had also been pushed back from Government House by police and was informed that he was to receive the same treatment as his colleagues in The Sentinel Group. Thus, Jean-Luc Emile, the editor of Radio One was also sworn affidavits in the same direction as Raj Meetarbhan and Darlmah Nack.
After an initial hearing, the case was adjourned until June 7 Subsequently, the Attorney General was named as a defendant. After discussions, both sides reached an agreement that was formalized this Monday, June 14 Thus, journalists from The Sentinel will no longer be denied access to ceremonies and official press conferences.
"This is a victory for democracy and for freedom of the press. It is also a victory of reason which has prevailed at the state," commented, Michel Ahnee, the lawyer of the group La Sentinelle.
