Zapiro Sued By Former SA Official

The cartoonist Zapiro is among the targets of $125 million (approximately $18 million US) in lawsuits filed by former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma. Summons were given to at least two newspapers, a radio show and the cartoonist. The claims against Zapiro total $15 million (a little of $2.1 million US).

The cartoons in question relate to the politician's rape trial from earlier in 2006, where Zuma was found not guilty. Zapiro claims to have been sued only once before now.

You have to like Zapiro's forthright, ballsy quotes in these articles, such as, "I'm not losing any sleep over this." And when your editor says you can't be stopped by a tsunami, that's saying something, too. Zapiro is a well-known national figure and an internationally published and awarded cartoonist.

The trend of lawsuits against cartoonists by sitting and ex-government officials in Africa, Europe and Asia has been a compelling one for the international community of cartoonists and, perhaps more importantly, for those interested in how press freedoms are treated on a country by country basis.
 
posted 1:10 am PST | Permalink
 

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