The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its national partner in Togo, Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme (IM2DH) have jointly petitioned the Director General of the Togolese Gendarmerie over the assault of a journalist by a group of gendarmes.
The victim, Robert Kossi Avotor of the L’Alternative bi-weekly newspaper, had gone to report on an eviction exercise at Akatoviépé, a suburb of Lomé on February 7, 2017 when he was brutalized.
Following the incident, the MFWA and IM2DH on February 16, 2017 sent a joint petition to the head of the Gendarmerie in Togo calling for an investigation into the matter and subsequent sanctions against the culprits.
“We condemn this kind of violence, which is an attack on freedom of expression and on the journalist’s right to freely exercise his profession. We call on the authorities of the national gendarmerie to carry out a thorough inquiry into the matter and ensure that the perpetrators of these acts of abuse get punished in accordance with the applicable laws in Togo,” the petition said.
The petition also urged the Ministry of Defense and the Director General of the national gendarmerie to protect and guarantee the security of Avotor.
Six journalists detained on February 12, 2017 for reporting on a recent mutiny by Ivoirian soldiers, have been released.
Coulibaly Vamara and Hamadou Ziao of Inter newspaper; Bamba Franck Mamadou of Notre Voie; Gbané Yacouba and Ferdinand Bailly of Le Temps and Jean Bédel Gnago of Soir Info regained provisional freedom on February 14, after spending 48 hours in detention.
Announcing the journalists’ release to the Agence Frace Presse(AFP), Guillaume Gbato, a leading member of le Syndicat de la presse privée en Côte d’Ivoire, the umbrella organisation of the private press in the country, said the six journalists, are however still under “charges of undermining state security and inciting soldiers to acts of insubordination and rebellion.” He added that “there is some relief, but we are calling for all the charges pressed against our colleagues to be dropped.”
Many media organisations, both national and international, protested against the arrests which they consider as a blatant attack on media freedom.
The MFWA welcomes the release of the six journalists and urge the authorities to discontinue their prosecution
This statement was originally published on nusoj.org on February 15, 2017.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is astounded by the arrest and detention of independent journalist in northern Somalia following return from the capital city, Mogadishu.
Journalist Abdilmalik Musse Oldon was today arrested upon arrival at Hargeisa Airport by Somaliland authorities, and he is being detained Crimes Investigations Department.
According to local journalists in Hargeisa, Oldon knew the attempt to arrest him before leaving Mogadishu. Somaliland’s intelligence and security authority, who reportedly issued an order to arrest him, withdrew its order, but a fresh order to detain him was issued by Somaliland police chief Abdullahi Fadal Iman.
Somaliland authorities did not officially state the reason behind the arrest of Oldon and the cameraman, though some officials who spoke to journalists said “they are not detaining Oldon as a journalist”.
Local journalists believe that Somaliland authorities are after Oldon because he criticised through social media an agreement signed by Somaliland government and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish a military base in Berbera, a city in the north-western Somaliland. It is also believed that Somaliland politicians are unhappy about Oldon’s visits to Mogadishu in which he meets political leadership and his support Somalia’s new president Mohamed Abdukkahi Mohamed Farmajo.
NUSOJ wishes to remind those in power in Hargeisa that the fundamental rights of expression, including freedom to hold opinions & speech, movement and association cannot be curbed simply because Somaliland authorities dislike Oldon’s views and movements within & outside the country.
“We call for immediate and unconditional release of Abdilmalik Musse Oldon. It’s very absurd to arrest a journalist for expressing his views or meeting with political leaders. Somaliland authorities should cease forthwith all such threats against journalists,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.
This statement was originally published on misa.org on 10 February 2017.
MISA Zambia welcomes the pronouncement by Justice Minister Given Lubinda at the 2017 Universal Periodic Review that the Access to Information bill is ready and that the government is working on systems that will readily avail the information to the public.
The enactment of the ATI bill is long overdue as it has stalled since 2002 when it was presented to parliament, with successive governments-including the PF government in 2011, making vain promises which have not come to fruition.
The announcement made by the Justice Minister is a positive step and MISA Zambia calls for the process to be expedited as sufficient consultation has already been undertaken by government and other stakeholders in the long period that the bill has been shelved and subsequently revised to meet the common aspirations in national interest.
We call on the two concerned Ministries, the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Information to make the contents of the bill public as an immediate step that will help create awareness and allow all stakeholders to take part in the process which is long overdue. In the same vein, the Ministry of Information must call for a forum for all stakeholders to chart the way forward given the developments regarding the ATI bill since President Edgar Lungu assumed office in 2015.
We also wish to implore the Minister of Justice to give a roadmap for the enactment of the bill as a concrete sign of commitment to avoid his pronouncement joining the long list of vain assurances and announcements on the enactment of the ATI bill by Ministers before him, with the PF government alone having promised to enact the bill on more than 6 occasions since it came to power in 2011 as the ATI bill was one of its key manifesto policies.
MISA Zambia is hopeful that Zambia, as a beacon of democracy, will emulate other democratic governments in the SADC region that have made strides in enshrinement of principles of transparency and accountability through enactment of the ATI bill, with Malawi being the most recent. MISA
Zambia remains committed to the campaign for the enactment of the ATI bill in Zambia and stands ready to support government in the process of enacting the ATI bill. We therefore call on cooperating partners and other civil society stakeholders to continue supporting the campaign and providing checks and balances in order for the ATI bill to see the light of day.
On the occasion of this year’s World Radio Day, which is being celebrated under the theme “Radio is You,” members of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), call on governments in the region to ensure that radio operates freely and independently; highlights the essential role of radio in society and challenges citizens to engage actively in governance through radio.
On January 23, 2017, moments after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had delivered a state of the nation address at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, Nagbe got into an altercation with a Member of Parliament, Moses Kollie. When Mrs. Kemoh tried to enquire from the minister about the cause of the quarrel, he flared up and retorted; “go ask your boyfriend.”
The incident was condemned by media organisations across Liberia with Infinity Broadcasting, Managers of Power TV lodging a formal complaint with the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Liberia’s umbrella media association.
The minister however rendered an apology to the journalist at a meeting called by the PUL on February 7, 2017, to settle the matter.
“It was anger that drove me to do what I did; I am sorry for there is no justification for my actions,” Minister Nagbe said.
Mr. Nagbe also indicated that he holds the media and the work it does in high esteem.
Mrs. Kemoh told officials of the PUL that she has accepted the minister’s apology.
PUL president, Charles Coffey, told reporters that Mrs. Kemoh has also agreed for the organization to drop its request for the Minister to provide a written apology to Mrs. Kemoh’s family, the PUL and the Female Journalists’ Association of Liberia (FEJAL).
The MFWA welcomes the remorse that the Minister has demonstrated and the forgiving spirit that Mrs. Kemoh has shown. We also commend the PUL for the successful mediation and amicable settlement of the issue. We call on media professionals to remain resolute and assert their rights at all times.
This statement was originally published on misa.org on February 10, 2017.
MISA Zambia welcomes the pronouncement by Justice Minister Given Lubinda at the 2017 Universal Periodic Review that the Access to Information bill is ready and that government is working on systems that will readily avail the information to the public.
The enactment of the ATI bill is long overdue as it has stalled since 2002 when it was presented to parliament, with successive governments-including the PF government in 2011, making vain promises which have not come to fruition.
The announcement made by the Justice Minister is a positive step and MISA Zambia calls for the process to be expedited as sufficient consultation has already been undertaken by government and other stakeholders in the long period that the bill has been shelved and subsequently revised to meet the common aspirations in national interest.
We call on the two concerned Ministries, the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Information to make the contents of the bill public as an immediate step that will help create awareness and allow all stakeholders to take part in the process which is long overdue. In the same vein, the Ministry of Information must call for a forum for all stakeholders to chart the way forward given the developments regarding the ATI bill since President Edgar Lungu assumed office in 2015.
We also wish to implore the Minister of Justice to give a roadmap for the enactment of the bill as a concrete sign of commitment to avoid his pronouncement joining the long list of vain assurances and announcements on the enactment of the ATI bill by Ministers before him, with the PF government alone having promised to enact the bill on more than 6 occasions since it came to power in 2011 as the ATI bill was one of its key manifesto policies.
MISA Zambia is hopeful that Zambia, as a beacon of democracy, will emulate other democratic governments in the SADC region that have made strides in enshrinement of principles of transparency and accountability through enactment of the ATI bill, with Malawi being the most recent.
MISA Zambia remains committed to the campaign for the enactment of the ATI bill in Zambia and stands ready to support government in the process of enacting the ATI bill. We therefore call on cooperating partners and other civil society stakeholders to continue supporting the campaign and providing checks and balances in order for the ATI bill to see the light of day.
This statement was originally published on misa.org on February 10, 2017.
Three days ahead of the commemoration of the World Radio Day on 13 February 2017, the government of Lesotho has cut the broadcasting signals of two local radio stations, Ts’enolo FM (104.6MHZ) and People’s Choice FM (95.6 MHZ)onThursday, 9 February 2017.
According to the Principal Secretary (PS) of the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Ts’eliso Khomari, the radio stations were cut offfor allegedlyairing defamatorycontent aboutthe country’s Prime Minister Bethuel Mosisili and Deputy Prime Minister Mothejoa Metsing.
Station managers of the two radio stations, Khauta Mpeqa and Mshengu Tshabalala respectively, in separate interviews, have confirmed broadcasting of a press conference and an interview with two brothers, Refiloe Litjobo and Thuso Litjobo.
Up till a month ago Refiloe Litjobo and Thuso Litjobo were members of the Mosisili-led Democratic Congress (DC). Thuso Litjobo was the president of DC Youth League, while Refiloe Litjobo was the Deputy Secretary General of the DC Executive Committee. Both brothers have since joined a newly formed Alliance for Democrats (AD) led by Monyane Moleleki who deputised Mosisili in the DC.
The closure of the radio stations came shortly after the Minister of Communication Science and Technology Serialong Qoo dismissed the Litjobo’s statement as a campaign to discredit the Prime Minister and his Deputy.
In a discussion with MISA Lesotho the PS promised to advise his Minister to reverse the decision to close the two radio stations. It is therefore MISA Lesotho’s expectation that the two radio stations will be back on air during the course of the day (10 February).
MISA Lesotho has learnt that the Principal Secretary (PS) has met with the People’s Choice FM radio manager and agreed on re-connection of the radio station to the Lesotho National Broadcaster Service (LNBS). The PS told MISA Lesotho that he will have further discussions with the management of the radio stations to address the government’s concerns.
BACKGROUND
The minister’s decision to close the two radio stations was implemented just two weeks after Thaaha Khube FM’s (97.4 MHZ)) broadcast of programme that attracted dissatisfaction from many listeners as being a campaign to discredit King Letsie III for addressing the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Oversight Committee during its recent visit to Lesotho. Despite listeners’ discontent about the content of the programme Thaaha Khube FM remained on air with no intervention from Government. MISA Lesotho therefore strongly advises that further discussions regarding content of radio stations should include Thaaha Khube FM.
It is MISA Lesotho’s firm belief that the government of Lesotho will speedily re-connect the two radio stations to the LNBS antennas.
A journalist with the L’Alternative bi-weekly newspaper in Togo was assaulted in the line of duty on February 7, 2017 by a group of gendarmes who later arrested, handcuffed and forced him to delete the pictures he had taken at the scene of a land dispute.
According to the MFWA correspondent in Togo, the journalist, Robert Avotor, was reporting on a land dispute at Akato-Viépé, near the Togo-Ghana boarder, when the incident occurred.
The report says the gendarmes who had gone to enforce an eviction order, asked the curious crowd which had gathered at the scene, to leave. When the crowd disobeyed, the gendarmes threw tear gas to disperse them. As a journalist performing a legitimate and important public duty, Avotor thought the order did not apply to him, so he showed his press card to one of the officers. The officer reported to have retorted that “even with your identification vest, we don’t care.”
Just about that moment, a group of gendarmes arrested a young man and started beating him. As Atovor took out his phone to film the scene, one gendarme started hitting him with his fist. Soon, more gendarmes joined in the assault. The gendarmes handcuffed Atovor with his hands behind, and abused him for two hours, until he urinated on himself. Subsequently, the gendarmes took Avotor away to their post at Sagbado where they forced him to delete the pictures he had taken with his mobile phone, before he was released.
The Management of L’Alternative newspaper have indicated in a press statement that they are considering legal action against the gendarmes, particularly, their leader named, Sub-Lieutenant Esso Salaka, who assaulted their employee.
The incident has been condemned by the media fraternity in Togo. Media watchdogs, Observatoire Togolais des Medias (OTM), Union des Journalists Independants du Togo (UJIT) and Conseil National des patrons de la Presse (CONAPP), condemned the assault in a joint statement.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its national partner in Togo, l’Institut des Medias pour la Democratie et les Droits de l’Homme (IM2DH) equally decry the unprovoked attack on the journalist who was performing his legitimate duty. We also support the decision of the Management of l’Alternative newspaper to seek legal redress.
This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on February 7, 2017.
January 2017, witnessed a number of major press freedom and freedom of expression developments in West Africa – from a stormy political transition in The Gambia that saw the exit of West Africa’s King of Impunity,’ to a massive crackdown on journalists by Nigerian security forces, and the lifting of media sanctions in Benin.
The most improbable happened in The Gambia where a memorable political drama unfolded climaxing with a momentous end to President Yahya Jammeh’s 22 years of tyranny, brutal human rights violations and agonising culture of silence.
After suffering an unexpected electoral defeat on December 1, 2016, Jammeh, who had been crowned ‘West Africa’s King of Impunity’, for supervising a regime that overtly perpetrated human rights violations, made several attempts to hang on to power. He initially conceded defeat after the declaration of the results but renounced his concession a week later, rejecting the results and calling for fresh polls.
The West Africa inter-governmental body, ECOWAS, backed by the African Union and the UN, insisted Jammeh should respect the verdict of the Gambian people and leave power. Jammeh was eventually compelled to leave power on January 21, when he left for exile in Equatorial Guinea.
President Jammeh’s antagonism towards the media in The Gambia was so pronounce during his 22-year rule. Even after defeat in the polls on December 1, 2016, the ex-President proved he was incurably hostile to press freedom and freedom of expression as he continued with his acts of violations.
On January 9 for example, the licenses of four major radio stations were revoked by the Jammeh regime without explanation. The four affected radio stations, namely Hilltop Radio, Afri Radio, Taranga FM and Paradise FM were the leading local radio stations providing coverage on the political controversy at the time.
Exactly a week after the shutdown of the four local radio stations, seven foreign journalists were deported on January 16 upon their arrival at the main airport in the capital Banjul. The deported journalists were from the regional bureau of CCTV in Kenya, one photojournalist from AFP and two journalists on assignment for the Sweden-based Digital journalism project, Blank Spot.
The MFWA Board in a group photograph with some Gambian media experts after their meeting on January 26, 2017
Already, the new President, Adama Barrow, has promised to undertake major reforms that will ensure respect for the rights of all persons. Addressing the nation on January 26 after his return from Senegal, where he had been sworn in while Jammeh was still hanging on to power, Mr. Barrow said he would ensure press freedom in the country.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has already held discussions with Gambian media leaders and experts on challenges facing the media, status of impunity for crimes against journalists under the Jammeh regime and how to confront those media challenges in the Post-Jammeh era.
Press Freedom Comes Under Siege in Nigeria
In January, the police in Nigeria, on different occasions arrested and detained a number of journalists prompting public outrage and petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to help bring the situation under control.
On January 5, police in the Southern state of Akwa Ibom arrested, Nsibiet John, a journalist with a local newspaper, The Ink. The journalist was kept in police cell overnight before he was arranged before a Magistrates’ Court on charges of criminal defamation and sedition. He was subsequently granted bail to reappear before the Court on February 13.
On January 6, another journalist in the same state, Jerry Edoho, was arrested by police and detained for three days in detention at the Forces Headquarters in Abuja. He was accused of a false publication on Facebook. The journalist was subsequently granted bail on January 9.
A week later on January 13, police arrested Desmond Utomwen, publisher of FreshNews, an online journal, following a defamation complaint by a custom official. The police also seized files, the publisher’s laptop and his mobile phone, before taking him away to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, in the federal capital, Abuja, for questioning. He was released later in the day.
On January 19, police in Abuja, raided the Abuja offices of the influential news website, Premium Times and arrested the publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi and the publication’s judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu. The police also conducted a thorough search at the offices without a search or arrest warrant. According to Nigerian police sources, the office raid and arrest of the publisher and journalist followed defamation complaints lodged by lawyers for the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. The incident came days after the paper had refused a written request from the Nigerian Army to retract news stories about the Army and its operations.
Dapo Olorunyomi and Evelyn Okakwu
The publisher and journalist were detained for a number of hours before being granted bail, prompting massive outcry from the media community and activists across Nigeria. A number of petitions were sent to President Muhammadu Buhari decrying the spate of frequent attacks on the media by security forces and urging the President to help end the situation.
On January 25, 2017, Ms Ujunwa Atueyi, a journalist with The Guardian newspaper was arrested, detained for hours in a vehicle and forced to delete pictures she had taken of a raid on motorists at a Lagos bus stop. Atueyi was arrested after the policemen saw her capture a scene in which they (the police) were beating a young man. The journalist was interrogated before being forced to delete the pictures she had taken.
The Nigerian police carried out another raid on January 29, this time on the printing house of the Biafra Times newspaper. The editor of the newspaper, Peter Eke and nine others were arrested. Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos State Police Commissioner, told the media on January 30, that the suspects were arrested for “an offence punishable under the Criminal Law of Lagos State,” without giving details. He said the printing press has been shut and the premises are being monitored, adding that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as detectives finished interrogating them.
Media Suspensions Lifted in Benin and Cote d’Ivoire
Adam Boni Tessi, President of HAAC
In Benin, the media regulatory body, Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication (HAAC) on January 26, lifted its ban on privately-owned Soleil FM, Eden TV and E-Télé. The three were among seven media organisations that the regulatory body had suspended on November 28, 2016 for violating licensing conditions.
In Cote d’Ivoire, the LG Infos daily newspaper returned to the newsstand after the media regulator, Conseil national de la Presse (CNP) lifted a ban on the newspaper. The newspaper had been suspended for seven editions in December 2016 for publishing what the regulator deemed to be “false information” about former first lady Simone Gbagbo, and aide to her son and a former minister.
The MFWA welcomed the lifting of the media suspensions in both Benin and Cote d’Ivoire and called for increased professionalism on the part of media organisations, and non-restrictions and censorship on the part of media regulatory bodies.
Director General of Ivoirian State Broadcaster Reports Technicians to the Police
Ahmadou Bakayoko
The good news about the lifting of suspension on the LG Infos newspaper in Côte d’Ivoire was, however, tempered with some other unpleasant development. Ahmadou Bakayoko, the Director General of the state broadcaster, Radiodiffusion Télévison Ivoirienne (RTI), reported six technicians of the station to the police after a 15-minute delay in the start of the prime-time evening TV news programme of Januray 27, 2017. Although the delay was due to technical reasons, Bakayoko accused the six technicians of “sabotage and undermining state security.” They were, therefore, summoned to report to the police for interrogation on a daily basis from January 31 to February 2.
Liberia Information Minister Abuses Female Journalist
Liberian Minister for Information Eugene Nagbe
On January 23, Liberia’s Minister for Information Eugene Nagbe, verbally abused a female journalist Estelle Liberty Kemo, during a press conference resulting in several condemnations from multiple actors.
In response to a question from the journalist about a recent row between him and an opposition member of parliament, Moses Kollie, minister Nagbe angrily told the journalist “go and ask your boyfriend, Representative Moses Kollie.”
The response from the Minister was deemed offensive and abusive, and attracted wide condemnations including one from the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL) who demanded prompt apology from the Minister.
Radio Stations Honoured in Ghana for Elections Coverage
In Ghana, the MFWA honoured 13 radio stations from across the country that played a key role in reducing hate speech and other pro-violence campaigning during the country’s December elections. The 13 media organisations were honoured at a forum that brought together all stakeholders in the media sector to assess the performance of the media during the elections.
The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) joins its member, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) to condemn the attack on journalist, Ahmed Mohamed Ali by police in Galkayo, in the Mudug region.
According to a statement issued by NUSOJ, around 8pm, on Sunday, February 5, 2017, about 30 armed police officers raided the premises of Radio Voice of Peace. The police pulled journalist, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, popularly known as Aano Geel, director of the station, out of his office, and started beating him up with guns and batons.
Mohammed Ali sustained injuries in the neck, shoulders, lower back and chest and was admitted to the hospital. Another journalist working with the station, Rabile Abdikarim Mohamud, was threatened when he tried to intervene.
As at the time of writing this statement, no reason had been given for the attack on the journalist.
NUSOJ has therefore condemned the attack.
“We condemn the actions by the Puntland police for beating up journalist Ahmed Mohamed Ali. We implore the Puntland Police to investigate the case expeditiously and bring the perpetrators and the masterminds of this act to book. This callous behavior must not go unpunished,” the Secretary General of NUSOJ, Omar Faruk, said in the statement.
AFEX joins NUSOJ to call on the police in Puntland to immediately investigate into the matter and bring the culprits to book. This barbaric attack against the journalist is unacceptable and must not be left unpunished.
A reporter of Radio Lynx FM in Guinea was on February 1, 2017 arrested by the authorities at the Ignace Deen Medical Centre in the capital, Conakry and subjected to intense interrogation.
She was investigating poor conditions at the hospital, the second largest in the capital when she was accosted by one of the doctors.
Narrating her ordeal on the Lynx channel, Mariam Kouyaté said she got access to the premises of the hospital after showing her professional identification card at the entrance. While she was interviewing patients about their experience regarding the facilities and conditions at the hospital, a doctor appeared and questioned her about her action. “I identified myself and told him my mission, but the doctor seized my working equipment. He took me to the Director of the hospital who also questioned me and subsequently ordered that I be sent to the Judicial Police.
“They rained insults on me all the way to the police station where I was subjected to aggressive interrogation for hours,” Kouyaté lamented.
The MFWA’s correspondent in Guinea says it took a public outcry for the reporter to be released by the police later in the day. The correspondent added that the poor state of the facility is already well-known. There is no running water in the wards and there is a shortage even of oxygen masks for operations, but the authorities are obviously uncomfortable with further exposure in the media.
The MFWA is concerned about the arrest of Kouyaté and the verbal abuse she suffered in addition to the confiscation of her equipment. The reporter was performing her legitimate role as a media professional with a responsibility to inform the public about poor service delivery. We therefore call on the authorities in Guinea to ensure not only that the perpetrators are appropriately sanctioned but also that the incident does not recur at the hospital.
After suffering an unexpected electoral defeat on December 1, 2016, Jammeh, who had been crowned ‘West Africa’s King of Impunity’, for supervising a regime that overtly perpetrated human rights violations, made several attempts to hang on to power. He initially conceded defeat after the declaration of the results but renounced his concession a week later, rejecting the results and calling for fresh polls.
In January, the police in Nigeria, on different occasions arrested and detained a number of journalists prompting public outrage and petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to help bring the situation under control.
On January 19, police in Abuja, raided the Abuja offices of the influential news website, 
In Ghana, the MFWA honoured 13 radio stations from across the country that played a key role in reducing hate speech and other pro-violence campaigning during the country’s December elections. The 13 media organisations were honoured 
