The Implications of Anti-terrorism Laws on Freedom of Expression in sub-Saharan Africa

After the horrific attack on 11 September 2001, counter terrorism has got a global attention that brought about a significant international policy changes. In a bid to control terrorist attacks, a number of governments around the world adopted anti-terrorism law that that aimed at preventing and curbing acts of terrorism. Prompted by the global counter terrorism campaign and some terrorist attacks that affected some of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, a number of African countries have introduced anti-terrorism legislations. The application such highly restrictive and ambiguous legislations have greatly threatened human rights and freedoms of fellow Africans. Particularly, the application of a draconian anti-terrorism law in some of the African countries has seriously undermined freedom of expression recognized under international and domestic human rights instruments. The paper provides an overview of the implications of antiterrorism legislative measures on freedom of expression and the factors that contributed for the application of repressive laws to stifle freedom of expression in African countries