Matā’upu tau faiga taufa’aleaga i le vā o tagata O le tele o atunu’u, o le puipuiga o le ta’uleleia o se tagata o se matā’upu e tele ina fa’apea o se matā’upu e patino i le tagata lava ia56 Na aliali mai i fefa’asoaa’iga ni popōlega ona o tagata ta’ito’atasi ‘olo’o fa’aali o latou tāofi tau upufai o mālō ua fai ai fo’i ma fa’amatalaga i sui o le palemene ma o latou ‘āiga a ua ti’ai matā’upu fa’apolitiki.57 O lea tulaga ua o’o ai ina fa’atino talosaga a ni faipule i lalo o le tulafono o faiga taufa’aleaga fa’apea fo’i tagi i lalo o le tulafono o solitulafono mo faiga taufa’aleaga. E pei ona fa’amati’e i luga, e lē mana’omia le fa’atinoga lonalua mo le mauaina o le puipuiga o le ta’uleleia o le tagata 58 E mafai ona fa’aaogā tulafono tau le vā o tagata e puipui ai le ta’uleleia o tagata mai fa’amatalaga lē sa’o.59 O le tulafono o faiga taufa’aleaga e mafai ai e tagata ta’ito’atasi ona fa’aulu se tagi mo mea ua fa’aleagaina ona ua āfāina le ta’uleleia o se tagata – fa’aleagaina o le igoa lelei po o le ta’uleleia o se tagata.60 Na fa’amālamalamaina e le fa’amasinoga le tāua atu o le puipuiga o le ta’uleleia o se tagata i lō le sa’olotoga o le fa’aaliga o tāofi i le fa’amasinoga o matā’upu tau le vā o tagata i faiga taufa’aleaga, Alesana v Samoa Observer Company Ltd.61 Na mātauina e le fa’amasinoga o le fa’amoemoe o le tulafono o faiga taufa’aleaga o le ‘ausia lea o se pāleni i le vā o le aiā tatau i le ta’uleleia ma le sa’olotoga o le tautala.62 Na fa’apea mai le fa’amasinoga63, na iai le nafa fa’atino o lē ua tete’e (Samoa Observer) mo tagata lautele, e mataala e māta’itū ma fa’ailoa ni faiga lē tonu a ta’ita’i filifilia o le mālō i le fa’atinoga o a latou galuega ma ua sopo atu ai ma le tuā’oi ina ua ia lē amana’ia le aiā tatau a tagata ta’ito’atasi ia lē ta’uleagaina. E ui o se sa’olotoga fa’avae le sa’olotoga o le fa’aaliga o tāofi, e tāua le amana’ia o le aiā tatau a so’o se tagata i lo latou ta’uleleia ma le aiā tatau e lē ta’uleagaina o latou tagata e ni isi e ala i ni fa’amatalaga taufa’aleaga e aunoa ma ni mau e fa’amāonia ai. Faiga Taufa’aleaga ma tapula’a o le sa’olotoga o le fa’aaliga o tāofi E tatau lava ona talia, o se aiā tatau e lavelave le sa’olotoga o le fa’aaliga o tāofi. E māfua le lavelave ona e lē tu’usaunoaina ma e mafai ona iai tapula’a e fa’atulafonoina.64 Ona o lea tulaga, e ui ina sa’oloto tagata ta’ito’atasi e fa’aali o latou lagona ma t��ofi i matā’upu ‘ese’ese e a’afia ai, e mafai ona fa’atapula’aina lea sa’olotoga ona o ni māfua’aga patino, e aofia ai le puipuiga o isi tagata mai fa’amatalaga taufa’aleaga.65 E tatau lava ona iai se māfua’aga tatau e mafai ona i’u i le puipuiga alagātatau o le ta’uleleia o se tagata , i so’o se tapula’a o le sa’olotoga 56 Article 19, “Defining Defamation: Principles on Freedom of Expression and Protection of Reputation”, p. 11. See for example Civicus, “Defamation laws being used to silence criticism in Samoa”, (27 September 2019) https://monitor.civicus.org/updates/2019/09/27/defamation-laws-being-used-silence-criticism-samoa/#. 58 Article 19, “Defining Defamation: Principles on Freedom of Expression and Protection of Reputation”, p. 11. 59 The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, “Media and Elections”, ACE Encyclopedia, https://aceproject.org/aceen/topics/me/mea/mea01i/mobile_browsing/onePag, accessed 12 May 2021. 60 Amit Sinha, “Difference between Civil Defamation and Criminal Defamation”, Blog (15 May 2019) https://medium.com/@sinhaamit095/difference-between-civil-defamation-and-criminal-defamation-3c6451627ba6, accessed 16 May 2021. 61 Alesana v Samoa Observer Company Ltd [1998] WSSC 1; CP 042 1997 (6 July 1998) http://www.paclii.org/cgibin/sinodisp/ws/cases/WSSC/1998/1.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=tofilau%20eti%20alesana. 62 Lange v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [1997] HCA 25; (1997) 145 A.L.R. 96, cited in Alesana v Samoa Observer Company Ltd [1998] WSSC 1; CP 042 1997 (6 July 1998) http://www.paclii.org/cgibin/sinodisp/ws/cases/WSSC/1998/1.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=tofilau%20eti%20alesana. 63 Alesana v Samoa Observer Company Ltd [1998] WSSC 1; CP 042 1997 (6 July 1998) http://www.paclii.org/cgibin/sinodisp/ws/cases/WSSC/1998/1.html?stem=&synonyms=&query=tofilau%20eti%20alesana. 64 UN HRC, General comment no. 34, Article 19, paras 22-26. 65 Taga’i i le Fa’avae o le Mālō o Samoa, Fuai’upu 13(2) ma le Tulafono o Solitulafono 2013, fuai’upu 117A. 57 Līpoti o le Tulaga o Aiā Tatau a Tagata Soifua 2021 | 20