Namibia guarantees Pitt and Jolie privacy

Photo: Namibia guarantees Pitt and Jolie privacy

Namibia guarantees Pitt and Jolie privacy

The Namibian Embassy in Pretoria tells journalists seeking visas for Namibia to cover the birth of the eagerly awaited celebrity baby that they must have permission from Pitt and Jolie in writing before they will be allowed into the country.

The government, which has seen its profile as a tourist destination increased by the celebrity visit, has arrested photographers, confiscated film, set up large green barriers on the beach to shield the couple and their children Zahara and Maddox, ringed the hotel with heavy security and threatened to expel any journalist trying to cover the birth without the parents' permission, the AP reports.

Interest has heightened in recent weeks as photographers anticipated the due date was near. It escalated Tuesday when an e-mail Pitt sent to the Cannes Film Festival and read to reporters there said he was unable to attend because of the baby's "imminent arrival."

Darryn Lyons, the chairman of Big Pictures, which runs Mr. Paparazzi.com, said in London that the two stars are certain to gain more attention by taking up residence in a poor corner of Africa then they would in the United States.

Perhaps at least partly because authorities in the United States would not allow the actors to decide which journalists are allowed to cover them.

A South African magazine photographer was arrested Wednesday for a second time in less than a week for trying to take pictures of the couple at a restaurant.

The arrest of John Liebenberg was condemned by the South African National Editors Forum.

Liebenberg was arrested last Friday and held in police for the weekend. South Africa's Sunday Times said last month its own photographer and three French photographers were ordered to leave Namibia or face arrest.