Gordimer: Freedom of expression threatened in S.Africa, calls on other writers to speak out

Gordimer: Free expression threatened in S.Africa

JOHANNESBURG — Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer is leading South African writers in speaking out against proposed laws she fears will muzzle freedom of speech in her homeland.

Gordimer says she and fellow writer Andre Brink were moved to take action because apartheid censors once banned their work.

She told The Associated Press Tuesday that the two are encouraging other writers to sign on to a statement condemning recent proposals by the governing party. One proposed law could jail reporters for publishing information that officials want kept secret, and another proposes the creation of a tribunal that could discipline journalists.

Gordimer says it is “tragic” that the governing African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, is proposing such measures after once leading the fight against apartheid.