South African courts maintain media freedom for rapists reporting

A South African court ruled Netflix to win, allowing it to release a documentary about convicted rapist, former tech entrepreneur Rapelang Rabana. The Pretoria High Court ruled that public interest in content exceeded potential harm to Rabana. Labana, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexual assault in 2022, provides first-hand information in the documentary. The court stressed that the judgment upheld the media freedoms granted by the South African constitution and pointed out that the documentary is educational. The public responded to this in a mixed manner, with some criticizing it for possible normalization of criminal behavior. Netflix has not yet set a release date, but reiterates its commitment to challenging content.