Reports
News on Press Freedom in Africa
ØMass Media and journalists tortures in Puntland (Somalia)
Download the periodical eight months report : Puntland Journalists Protection.pdf
Ø Rwanda: EAJA raises concern over draft Access to Information Act
(07 September 2009)- The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has today expressed concern over some articles in Rwanda’s Access to Information draft law currently being discussed and waiting to be presented before parliament, that if enacted shall be very restrictive to the media and the public at large.
“Our main concern arises from article 5 that puts specific boundary of national security as reason for denial of information from the public. This article can be used arbitrarily to deny the public and the media information. In essence, it is like giving with one hand and taking it back with the other. It is a claw-back article,” said EAJA.
“Ombudsman and the minister responsible for matters relating to national security shall, having regard to applicable international standards, develop guidelines for determining when information would cause serious harm to the national security of Rwanda,” reads the Article.
Besides the Article 5, the long process involved in getting the information so requested by a journalist, is not media friendly. The draft indicates that a journalist has to wait for three days for a response upon application to get information from authorities. “In the business of media, news is highly perishable and three days will make the media product stale,” EAJA said.
EAJA expresses solidarity with the Rwandan journalists who on 3 September 2009 voiced their concern about the draft, and hails the Rwandan government for moving in the right direction towards a freedom of information law.
“Such consultations with stakeholders about this draft law is indeed a move in the right direction, which will greatly facilitate journalists’ work, minimize confrontation between the media and the state, and enhance public empowerment” EAJA added.
EAJA supports enacting of freedom of information law to safeguard media freedom and to promote popular participation in governance. However, such law must be in tandem with international practice and spirit, EAJA says.
END
Tervil Okoko
Regional Co-ordinator, Media Freedom, Advocacy and Research
Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA)
B.P 4099, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
Tel. +254-734 09 32 75
E-mail: tervil@eaja.org, ttokoko@yahoo.com
eaja@eaja.org
ØWorrying trends against media freedom in Uganda, says EAJA
05 September 2009
The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) expresses concerns at the manner and style with which police and authorities in Uganda have continued to harass and intimidate journalists in Uganda, especially in the past one-month.
EAJA is deeply perturbed by the continued harassment by police of journalists at the independent Monitor newspaper, and the incessant intimidation by the police of journalist Kazibwe Bashir Mbazira of Radio 104.9 Ssuubi FM.
On 21 September 2009, the Managing Editor of the Daily Monitor, Daniel Kalinaki, and the managing editor of the Sunday Monitor, Henry Ochieng, were charged with fraud, after they reproduced contents of documents linking President Yoweri Museveni with a controversial plan to fence off the oil-rich Bunyoro region from migrant human population. The charge carries a prison sentence of three years upon conviction.
Another five journalists, from the same media house, are facing criminal libel charges, after they allegedly published a critical caricature of President Museveni. Mbazira who is the radio's editor-in-chief, on his part, has been in and out of police interrogation rooms about five times in the past two months. All these cases portend worrying trends against media freedom in Uganda.
EAJA is strongly convinced that this amounts to a travesty of justice, harassment and intimidation so that the journalists cannot continue their work freely and fairly. It is apparent that the Museveni regime is increasingly getting impatient with a free press and is easily irritated and averse to any sort of criticism.
“This is greatly retrogressive. These cases portray Uganda in bad light. We therefore call upon the State to drop all the charges against the journalists as a commitment to media freedom as provided for within the framework of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) of the African Union of which Uganda is an agile signatory”, said EAJA.
EAJA calls upon the Ugandan government to desist from using unpopular statues to intimidate and harass the media. Instead, it is time countries in the Eastern Africa region, Uganda included, deleted claw-back clauses from their statute books and replaced them with legal structures and policies that are supportive of free media and free expression.
Uganda is a member of the East Africa Community (EAC), whose spirit and objective revolves around regional integration and economic development. Such growth and integration cannot be achieved in an environment where the media is muffled, intimidated and abused. Such integration can also not be achieved when member states and their policies are not in tandem with the spirit of fairness, accountability to the public and openness.
EAJA appeals to governments in Eastern Africa to embrace progressive media policies and laws since these are mandatory ingredients to social development and economic growth.
Tervil Okoko
Regional Co-ordinator, Media Freedom, Advocacy and Research
Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA)
B.P 4099, Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
Tel. +254-734 09 32 75
E-mail: tervil@eaja.org, ttokoko@yahoo.com
eaja@eaja.org
Ø Protest for Press freedom in Gambia
There will be a mass protest in the streets of Dakar on Wednesday July 22nd, by Gambians mainly in exile in Senegal. This event is being facilitated by Amnesty International and the date has been chosen to coincide with the 15th Anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution of Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh. Similar protest will be held in other cities in Africa (including Abuja), Europe (including London) and the United States (including New York).
This event is as a result of the heavy-handedness of the Jammeh regime towards journalists/media practitioners in The Gambia. As I write this email, six journalists are being held at Mile 2, the country's most notorious prison for merely upholding the sanctity and ethos of journalism. Arrested Journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh's whereabouts are still not known after being picked up by security agents over two years ago.
Since Jammeh came to power in a military coup, journalists in the country have been going through one repression after the other. Independent journalists have been arrested, detained, tortured, forced into exile etc. At least a dozen journalists are still left with tortured and bayonet marks in their bodies after being released from security detention centers. The likes of The Point newspaper founder, Deyda Hydara, lost their lives in a very brutal way. There is a roof of insecurity hanging over every journalist's head in The Gambia and there is no sign that this would change for the better.
We hope to use this protest to;
1. Show solidarity with our colleagues in Gambia who have been trying hard to perform their journalistic duties under difficult circumstances, to make them realise that they are not alone in their struggle.
2. To send a clear signal to the dictatorial regime in Banjul that the world is watching and that what they are doing to journalists in the country is completely out of order.
3. To draw the attention of the international world to what is happening in The Gambia.
4. To express our grievances to the authorities in Gambia through the Gambia High Commission by way of a petition letter etc.
You are all invited to the event either as a participant or to do a story for your respective institutions.
Todd and Laurence, My name is Sheriff Bojang Jnr. and a Gambian living in exile in Dakar. I am also RFI English Dakar Correspondent.
Kine, if you know anybody who will be interested in taking part in this event please let me know or you can inform them. I don't know what it takes to have the participation of AJS as an organisation.
Tania, I was cut off the conference call on Thursday. Think it was bad phone network. I am meeting Gassama at Amnesty Dakar tomorrow and will let you know if theere's any development to the preparation. Let me also know if there's anything from your end. Look forward to seeing u in Dakar and let's keeep the fire burning!
Ø Two broadcast journalists seriously beaten in Somalia
12 June 2009
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ today expresses its alarm over aggressive attacks against two broadcast journalists in southwestern Somalia.
Mr Omar Abdirahman Mohamoud (Jaajaa) and Ms Sahra Ali Mohamoud, who work for privately owned Markabley Radio as reporter and newscaster respectively, were seriously beaten Thursday evening (11 June) by four masked Al-Shabab militias soon after they left the station, according to the journalists in Bardhere. The two journalists ran on foot from in an attempt to escape their attackers, but were chased and beaten severely with baseball bats. They were able to evade their attackers and are now hiding in the town.
According to journalists in Bardhere, during the beatings the militia attackers were over heard saying: “These are bad guys, so called journalists, we have to take an action.” After the attacks the militias went on to say: “The other journalists should have to leave the town.”
In addition to the beating of the journalists, the journalists of the region are fully censored and are not allowed to interview government officials, according to journalists in Bardhere.
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For further information, contact:
National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ)
Taleex Street, KM4 Area, Hodan District,
Mogadishu, Somalia, tel/fax: +252 1 859 944,
e-mail: newsletter@nusoj.org
Internet: http://www.nusoj.org
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National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is a national union representing Somali journalists to promote and protect freedom of the press and the interests and rights of journalists. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Freedom of Expression exchange (IFEX), Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA). NUSOJ is partner with Reporters without Borders (RWB).
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Press Release
Thursday, June 11th 2009
The Gambia Press Union wishes to express its shock and disappointment over the inappropriateness of the provocative statement of the head of state, President Jammeh, on GRTS, Tuesday night in relation to the death of veteran Gambian journalist, the late Deyda Hydara.
It is rather unfortunate and the Union is indeed saddened that the second time the head of state has so chosen to discuss the death of Deyda Hydara; he again, has dwelt on the issue of character assassination and ridicule.
We find it most unfortunate that the champion for the promotion of Gambian and African culture, traditional norms and values, and someone, who claims to have total respect for religion in particular, Islam, President Jammeh finds it appropriate to ridicule and to speak ill of the dead. Such behavior and countenance is most unreligious, un-cultural and certainly discredits traditional African norms and values!
The Union need not remind President Jammeh that it is difficult to presume that the Gambia Government is concerned over the death of Deyda Hydara unless and until the Gambia Government and its relevant security institutions are seen to be determined and resolved to seriously commit themselves in a professional manner to embark on investigating the events that led to the death of our dear colleague and brother.
We also wish to bring to the attention of the head of state that the Government of The Gambia and its relevant Security Apparatus’ have the primary responsibility to ensure the protection of each and every Gambian life and therefore the murder of any Gambian should be an issue of paramount concern and curbing such a menace a priority. Mere statements and or speculations and ridicule re: the events leading to the death of Deyda Hydara cannot and will not be accepted as exoneration of the Gambia Government, neither by the Union, international journalist associations, the Hydara family or other interested parties. The death of any Gambian, more so one who was most vocal on issues of human rights, freedom of expression and the development of the country in general, even if it meant clashing with the powers that be, can only be deemed suspicious until such a time that the state can logically, reasonably, factually and forensically, and within the shortest possible period prove otherwise.
We demand an investigation of fact and forensics spearheaded by the Gambia Government. Should the relevant government institutions not have the resources or wherewithal to carry on with the investigations, we at the Gambia Press Union think it is time that you publicly admit that and invite other states and international policing and security institutions such as Interpol, who already have a desk at the Police Headquarters to take over the investigations.
It is almost certain that the trail has gone cold in the past Four and a half years but the main pieces of the puzzle being the bullets which were or should have been retrieved during post mortem and the post mortem report will certainly go a long way in aiding the continuation and or recommencement of the investigations. Motives and related issues can wait for a later date! Right now our preoccupation is that the perpetrators of this murder most foul be brought to book.
Mr. President the venom with which you spoke about the websites with a picture of the slain journalist and the slogan “Who Killed Deyda Hydara” is alarming. We are very much aware that the issue be kept alive and until such a time that his killers are brought to book, this slogan and its accompanying image will remain on the website of the Union and that even then, we will coin a statement fitting to forever haunt the perpetrators of this heinous crime!
The killing of Deyda Hydara, if nothing else, has only strengthened the resolve of true journalists to remain steadfast, truthful and committed to speaking in defense of the weak and the vulnerable.
On a second note, we are quite surprised that you claim there is Freedom of Expression in The Gambia. Mr. President, we beg to differ, the legal environment in particular the Newspaper Amendment Act 2004, the Criminal Code Amendment Act 2004, the Newspaper Registration Act and the recently passed Communications Bill 2009 make it practically impossible to practice efficiently as a journalist and yet remain within the ambits of the law.
The laws notwithstanding, the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh, the continued prolonging of unnecessary court cases of journalists and media practitioners, arbitrary arrests and detention, harassment of Gambian journalists especially the episodes of 2006 leave a lot to be desired re: the state of freedom of expression in The Gambia.
We therefore call on the Gambia Government to respect, promote and defend the rights of journalists, notably by bringing an immediate end to the unnecessary and continued embarrassment and harassment of journalists; to create the enabling environment for the development and full participation of the independent media, the fourth estate, by repealing the current media laws which criminalize media offences amongst a host of other detrimental issues and to pass new and progressive media related laws such as Freedom of Information and Access to Information Acts which amongst other provisions guarantee freedom of the media as stipulated in the regional and international treaties such as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which your Government is signatory.
We also propose, in good faith that your Government seriously look at strategies geared towards engaging and collaborating with the independent media to enhance and strengthen independent media participation and to enable the expansion of the space for divergent views and healthy debate.
GAMBIA PRESS UNION
NO. 5 GARBA JAHUMPA ROAD BAKAU NEWTOWN
P. O. Box 1440, Banjul, The Gambia
email: gpu@qanet.gm url: www.gambiapressunion.org
Ø UNESCO chief speaks out against killing of Somali journalists – (29 May 2009)
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom today condemned the recent shooting deaths of two Somali journalists.Abdirisak Warsameh Mohamed of Radio Shabelle was reportedly gunned down last week on his way to work amid renewed fighting between Government forces and armed rebels near the Bakara Market in the capital, Mogadishu.
Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several areas of Mogadishu on 8 May, uprooting over 67,000 people, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
It is impossible to know whether the journalist, who took several bullets to the chest, was singled out to be killed given the intensity of the conflict and the large number of civilians hit in the crossfire, the U