This case deals with various complaints received against a documentary broadcast by the Respondent, the intention with the broadcast being to throw light on the abuse of a custom of a certain part of the population which resulted in an increasing number of deaths of young boys. While the custom is regarded by some as sacred, the Broadcaster had no intention to disrespect or humiliate the custom itself. In the programme solutions were proposed to minimise the deaths and mutilations that sometimes result from circumcision. No pictures of circumcision were broadcast. The Tribunal found that the broadcast was in the public interest and that there was no reasonable justification to limit the Respondent’s freedom of expression regarding the broadcasting of the documentary. No contravention of the Broadcasting Code was found.
