activities, would be guaranteed would continue to defend itself destabilieation and subversion under the law. However, against what were deemed of the social order. the Malagasy to be attempts State at 552. In connection with that issue , members of the Committ,ee wished to know under which circumstances and by whom telephone-tapping or control of the mail could be authorised: whether there had been any allegations of unlawful interference during the period covered by the report with privacy in general with home and correspondence and, if so, how such and, in particular, complaints had been dealt with. 553. In his reply, respect for privacy by the Constitution examining magistrate the representative of the State party said that strict and the inviolability of correspondence were provided for and that telephone-tapping could only be authorized by an in the course of investigations. freedom of oninion and . , 6tement to national. exnression: racial or arohil&&n . * reliaious of provwda for war and a w 554. With regard to those issues, members of the Committee requested clarification of the reference in the report to “political prisoners” and of the offences and circumstances relating to their imprisonment, and wished to receive information on current legal guarantees with respect to freedom of the press and on their implementation. They also wished to know how the state monopoly on radio and television affected freedom of expression: how the requirement for the exercise of freedom of expression “in conformity with the objective of the Revolution”, as provided by article 20 of the Constitution, had actually been addressed in law and practice: whether there had been any adverse consequences for those not observing this limitation: what limits were imposed on the enjoyment of freedom of opinion and expression by the need to ensure due respect for the person of the Read of State and state institutions: and whether, notwithstanding the abolition of censorship, there had been any seizures or confiscations of books, newspapers or other publications. In addition, clarification was requested of the apparently large number of prosecutions and convictions for libel and slander. 555. In his reply, the representative of the State party emphasised that there were currently no political prisoners in Madagascar and that, since the ending a series of measures had progressively restored of the state of emergency, freedom of the press. There had in the past been strict control over printed mntter imported from abroad, and obscene and pornographic material had systematically been confiscated. In that regard, provisions regarding statutory deposit of publications as well as all forms of press censorship had now been abolished. The state monopoly on radio and television was currently under thorough review and a private company was being set up to produce programmes independently from the State, the principal concern being to make radio and television profitable operations independent of all political iuterests. Many private radio and television stations were already functioning, and broad access to television by satellite had, in fact, eliminated the last vestiges of state monopoly. Under the new press law, insulting statements concerning the Head of State would no longer be a criminal offence. -136-