Joint Statement: A victory for Inxeba is a victory for Freedom of Expression!

The Right2Know Campaign and the South African Screen Federation (SASFED) welcomes today’s ruling on the  censorship of the award-winning film Inxeba, which had effectively been reclassified as hard core pornography by the Film & Publications Board’s appeals tribunal.

R2K and SASFED entered the case as friends of the court, with representation by the Legal Resources Centre. We celebrate this judgement as a victory for freedom of expression for all, inclusive of the LGBTQI community. It represents a clear and unambiguous blow against the kind of censorship carried out by the Film and Publications Board’s Appeals Tribunal. The Constitution protects the freedom of artists to raise controversial conversations through their work, and should be equally protected by the law to do so in a democratic society.

This judgement gives a much needed boost for the protection of freedom of expression and more especially the right to include Queer bodies’ stories in the narratives told through different media platforms. All media should remain free and diverse.

For further comment contact:

Lazola Kati, R2K Campaigns Organiser: (072 956 7753)

Rehad Desai, SASFED Chairperson: 083 997 9204

NB: Please attribute all contents of this statement to R2K and SASFED, not to any individual unless you contact a spokesperson for specific comments.