The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has condemned as ”heavy-handed” the arrest of a South African photographer for the second time by Namibian police on Wednesday.
Huisgenoot and You magazine photographer John Liebenberg was arrested on Wednesday while he and other photographers were trying to take pictures of Brad Pitt and a pregnant Angelina Jolie at the Tiger Reef Bar in Swakopmund.
This was the second time he was arrested in the past week.
”The forum believes citizens have a right to privacy; however, journalists also have a right to be able to do their jobs without unfair hindrance or intimidation,” Sanef said in a statement.
Esmare Weideman, editor of Huisgenoot and You magazines, said it is not clear on what grounds John was arrested this time as he had not been trespassing.
”Our information is that he was on municipal land some way off from the restaurant. He was not on private property. We are baffled as to what charges they are going to bring against him this time.”
Weideman said police have been ”acting like Brad and Angelina’s personal bodyguards” ever since the couple arrived in Namibia.
”We do respect the privacy of celebrities, but we don’t believe their privacy had been invaded in any way. The photographers were not even close to the restaurant,” she said.
John was arrested on Friday May 19 and held in police custody until Monday May 22 when he was charged with trespassing. He pleaded guilty.
The magistrate released him on warning and commented that he could not understand why he had been held for the entire weekend, Sanef said.
Since the movie stars and their entourage arrived in Walvis Bay in April, they have been shielded from reporters by their own bodyguards and Namibian police at the luxury Burning Shore hotel, The Associated Press reported.
According to the report, the Namibian government has threatened to expel anyone trying to cover the birth of the couple’s child without permission. — Sapa