Media groups call for repeal of Samoa’s defamation law

Lagi Keresoma

Lagi Keresoma (left) is the first woman president of the Journalists Association of Samoa. Screenshot from the YouTube video of ABC International Development. Fair use

Samoan and Pacific media groups have reiterated the demand to repeal Samoa’s defamation law after a senior journalist was slapped with a criminal charge over a report involving police officers.

Talamua Online reporter Lagi Keresoma, who is also the head of the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS), was charged with defamation over a report about a former police officer accused of forging signatures in a loan application. The police summoned and advised Keresoma to issue an apology to settle the case, but the journalist asserted that her report is based on facts.

“To apologise is an admission that the story is wrong, so after speaking to my lawyer and my editor, it was decided to have the police file their charges, but no apology from my end,” said Keresoma in a news report.

The case drew criticism about the state of press freedom in Samoa and the continuing use of the defamation law, which was scrapped in 2013 but reintroduced with harsher penalties in 2017 to address the misuse of social media.

JAWS issued a statement calling Keresoma’s case “a troubling development for press freedom in Samoa” and underscored its rejection of “the use of criminal libel laws as a means to silence journalists or discourage investigative reporting.” Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, gender representative of JAWS to the International Federation of Journalists, criticized the “heavy-handed” and “disproportionate” response to Keresoma’s reporting.

[Keresoma’s] arrest under this outdated and controversial provision raises serious concerns about the misuse of legal tools to silence independent journalism. The action appears heavy-handed and disproportionate, and risks being perceived as an abuse of power to suppress public scrutiny and dissent.

Writing for the Samoa Observer, journalist Tanuvasa Satele bemoaned the rising political attacks against journalists in Samoa.

In recent months, legitimate media outlets have faced threats and backlash simply for reporting on judicial decisions and political disputes. Journalists have been harassed online for asking tough but necessary questions. Some political actors and their supporters have used social media to spread misinformation, painting professional reporters as biased while elevating politically motivated content that masquerades as news.

In another article, Satele also warned about the chilling effect of indicting the head of JAWS.

The charge against Lagi Keresoma presents a moment of reckoning — not just for media professionals, but for lawmakers, public officials, and the citizens of Samoa. We must ask ourselves: What kind of nation do we want to be? One where journalists are silenced by outdated laws? Or one where the truth, even when inconvenient, is allowed to breathe?

Repealing this law does not mean giving journalists a free pass. It means allowing for legitimate disputes to be resolved fairly, through civil channels where the emphasis is on truth, harm, and remedy — not punishment and fear.

Regional media watchdogs such as the Pacific Islands News Association and Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) have called for the immediate repeal of Section 117A of the Crimes Act of 2013, which they described as “a law that has been criticised for enabling the criminalization of journalism and silencing investigative reporting.”

PFF chair Robert Iroga urged authorities to seek alternative ways to address complaints and grievances against media reporting.

The cost of media cases like this, brought by the state, will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer, with the legal costs of defence a huge burden on newsrooms that are unable to profit in the economies they serve, this places a question of intent over any defamation cases brought against media especially in instances where direct contact and low cost mediation has not already been pursued.

At the end of the day, the defense of truth and integrity is what works best for our profession and our people. An out-of-court resolution would help restore confidence and public perceptions that our leaders are more than happy to be held to account.

Pacific Media Watch noted the drop in Samoa’s ranking in the global press freedom index released by Reporters Without Borders from 22 in 2024 to 44 in 2025.

This is a disturbing development in Pacific media freedom trends. Clearly it is a clumsy attempt to intimidate and silence in-depth investigation and reporting on Pacific governance.

For years, Samoa has been a beacon for edia freedom in the region, but it has fared badly in the latest World Press Freedom Index and this incident involving alleged criminal libel, a crime that should have been struck from the statutes years ago, is not going to help Samoa’s standing.

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