Justice Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici rode the high horse and took a holier-than-though stance when he criticised Labour leader Joseph Muscat on the issue of protection of children from pornography (The Sunday Times, August 1).

According to your report, the minister explained that Article 208 of the Criminal Code has been amended “to complement other legislation”.

This is the same clause under which Mark Camilleri, the 21-year-old editor of a university student newspaper, was charged for publishing a graphic story.

The minister is reported to have said that “under this amendment, violating Article 208 on the production, circulation and possession of material which can be deemed pornographic if intended for display in a public place can now land an offender with a six- to 12-month jail term, while the fines have now more than doubled”.

In his zeal, the minister seems to have overlooked the fact that the law against pornography has been reinforced in one area while the powers-that-be are turning a blind eye when a number of hotels (and other establishments) are making money from pornographic TV channels. This too is against the law.

I raised this matter in Parliament early last June (when I also complained about pornographic channels on cable television) and the minister stated in a written reply that the police were about to investigate .

Whether or not the police have been dragging their feet, isn’t it striking that the minister now claims credit for imposing tougher penalties in terms of a particular article of the Criminal Code, while the same law against making money from pornography in hotels is being flouted?

Why hasn’t action been taken? Isn’t the law equal for everyone? Surely, the minister should explain whether action will be taken against hotel owners and cable TV companies that have been, and still are, making money and breaking the law.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.