This update covers developments relating to the freedom of expression in the Seychelles from 4th July 2025 to 31st December 2025.
GENERAL
Peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections
From 25th to 27th September 2025, general elections were held to elect both the president and all members of the National Assembly for a five-year term. As no candidate secured a majority of the votes in the first round, the two candidates with the highest number of votes, Patrick Herminie (United Seychelles) and Wavel Ramkalawan (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa), faced off in a second round, which was held in October 2025. Opposition leader and former Speaker of the Assembly Patrick Herminie won the presidential election and was sworn in on 8th December 2025.
The candidate and incumbent President Ramkalawan had refused to take part in the presidential debate organised by the national channel Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation as, according to him, the debate should take place only between the three main candidates and not all those who met the legal requirements.
The local observer group Citizens Democracy Watch Seychelles concluded that the elections were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and in a transparent manner. The same conclusion was reached by several international election observers.
Seychellois were able to freely exercise their Constitutional rights in peaceful elections
- African Union - Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Election Observation Mission
Progress on the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
In August 2026, a new committee was established to oversee the implementation of recommendations from the Truth, Reconciliation, and National Unity Commission regarding human rights violations linked to the 1977 coup and to determine compensation owed to victims. Between 2018 and 2022, the Truth Commission revealed unlawful killings, detentions and other human rights violations and issued a series of recommendations related to reconciliation, national unity, and reparations for victims. The then candidate Herminie had pledged to implement the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
EXPRESSION
Supreme Court lifts prohibited immigrant status of former editor at Today Seychelles
In a previous update, CIVICUS reported the dismissal and expulsion of Mauritian journalist Vel Moonien from the country without explanation. On 3rd November 2025, the Supreme Court issued an interim order lifting Moonien’s prohibited immigrant status which forbade him to travel. The Media Association of Seychelles welcomed the decision. The substantive examination of the judicial review petition is still pending.
Supreme Court rules that dismissal of journalist failed to respect Employment Act
On 1st August 2025, the Supreme Court of Seychelles ruled that the dismissal of TV journalist Patrick Muirhead did not respect the Employment Act. In 2021, Muirhead was dismissed from his position of journalist at the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation following a dispute with the Corporation’s CEO. The dispute related to the naming of arrested suspects in a large money laundering and arms case. Muirhead had pleaded in vain with the CEO not to censor his news reports and took a day’s unapproved absence in protest.
Muirhead was summarily fired without notice the following week for gross misconduct and was accused of insubordination. He unsucessfully appealed to the Public Service Appeal Board.
In his Supreme Court judgment, Judge Dodin ruled that due process had not been respected as the matter was not formally investigated and Muirhead had not been given the chance to meet and discuss with the leadership before being dismissed.