Hate Speech: IPC Warns Against Bill
The International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos-Nigeria has called on the Senate to drop the proposed hate speech bill that seeks to recommend death sentence for purveyors of hate speech.
The bill which is being sponsored by Senate Spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi proposes that anyone found guilty of any form of hate speech could face death by hanging upon conviction.
The Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, in a statement Friday said what the country needs today is engagement by multiple stakeholders to determine what actually constitutes hate speech and agree on effective measures for dealing with such. “A draconian law that hallmarks dictatorship cannot be the solution to hate speech in a democratic society”, Mr. Arogundade stressed.
The IPC Director also said that should such a bill become a law it would certainly pose a major threat to freedom of expression, freedom of the press and safety of journalists.
“Much as we do not welcome hate speech, we do not also welcome a law that would gag citizens and deny the public the right to know”, Mr. Arogundade added.
