Computer Crime and Cyber Security Bill, 2024 (Lesotho)

The Computer Crime and Cyber Security Bill, 2024 is Lesotho's pending comprehensive framework for combating computer-enabled crime and securing critical information systems. Tabled in the National Assembly in May 2024, it is the latest in a sequence of attempts, following earlier Bills in 2022 and 2023, to modernise the Kingdom's response to digital threats, electronic fraud, cyberbullying and malicious communications. As at June 2026 it had not been enacted or received royal assent, and therefore remains a draft instrument. The Bill defines an extensive catalogue of offences modelled on international templates: illegal access, illegal remaining, illegal interception, illegal data interference, data espionage, illegal system interference and illegal devices, together with computer-related forgery and computer-related fraud. It also covers identity-related crimes, SPAM, harassment by means of electronic communication and violation of intellectual-property rights. A set of content offences addresses child pornography and pornography, racist and xenophobic material and racist or xenophobic motivated insult, and the denial or justification of genocide and crimes against humanity. The Bill is expressly drafted to comply with the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection (Malabo Convention), and it provides procedural and investigative powers for the collection of digital evidence. Section 66, which authorises state agents to engage in remote surveillance and interception of data, has attracted significant constitutional and human-rights criticism for being overbroad, lacking adequate safeguards and being susceptible to abuse. For the ATLPF library the instrument is recorded as a Draft Bill, tagged Cybercrime with Digital Rights as a secondary topic in light of the surveillance and content provisions, and cross-referenced to Lesotho's Data Protection Act, 2011. Researchers should monitor the National Assembly and Senate for progress toward enactment; Lesotho's data-protection and cyber-security tracks have advanced on separate timelines. The full text is published on the National Assembly of Lesotho website.

1. 1Core cyber offences: illegal access, illegal remaining, illegal interception, illegal data interference, data espionage, illegal system interference, illegal devices
2. 2Computer-related forgery and fraud; identity-related offences; SPAM; harassment by electronic communication; violation of intellectual-property rights
3. 3Content offences: child pornography and pornography; racist and xenophobic material and motivated insult; denial/justification of genocide and crimes against humanity
4. 4Procedural and investigative powers for digital evidence collection, including (controversially) section 66 authorising remote surveillance and interception by state agents, criticised as overbroad with insufficient safeguards
5. 5Drafted to align with the Budapest Convention and the AU Malabo Convention
6. 6Tabled in the National Assembly May 2024; not yet enacted or assented as at June 2026 (successor to 2022/2023 bills)