Former foreign minister Evarist Bartolo took to Facebook to defend Matt Bonanno, the satirist behind the page ‘Bis-Serjeta’ following prosecution by evangelical church River of Love.
Bartolo said that serious procedures are being taken against Bonanno and could possibly lead to a massive fine or even imprisonment.
Bonanno, said Bartolo, has been using the website and satire since 2011 to comment on what is happening in Malta. However, head pastor of River of Love, Gordon Manche, was offended by an ‘obviously satirical comment by Bonanno’, said the former Minister.
‘A democratic society is measured by how much it tolerates criticism’ said Bartolo. ‘We moved forward in this regard: from a time when journalists went to prison over caricatures, from a time of condemning mortal sins and to a time when journals were closed for critiquing authorities and injustice’.
‘We still have a lot to do to strengthen liberty of expression and the protection of journalists. It does not make sense that, in our country, someone is imprisoned or fined for using the weapon of satire to seriously comment on what is happening’ concluded Manche.
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