University urged to lift newspaper ban

Alternattiva Demokratika has urged the university to lift the ban on the controversial newspaper Ir-Realta.

The publication, which was distributed on campus, was banned because the university said an article published in the penultimate page might have been in violation of the press act and criminal code because of its adult nature.

“Universities should always be at the forefront of freedom of speech in literature, the arts and political opinion. A university which takes prides in the development of information technology is banning a political newspaper simply because it contained an explicit literary piece not very different from literary texts found in the university library,” continued the party.

It also urged the government to change its laws on censorship and replace the responsible board with a classification one whose job should be that of issuing ratings.

“Censorship is not only a breach of individual rights but an anachronistic legacy which can be used arbitrarily to repress artists and minorities whose lifestyle or opinions do not conform to the views of hegemonic institutions,” it said.