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Liberia: Information Minister Verbally Abuses Female Reporter

Felicia Anthonio
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Liberia: Information Minister Verbally Abuses Female Reporter

This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 26, 2017.

Liberia’s Information Minister has molested a female journalist during a press conference in the capital Monrovia, on January 23, 2017.

Reports say the Minister, Eugene Nagbe, flared up when Estelle Liberty Kemo from Power TV asked about a recent row between him and an opposition Member of Parliament, Moses Kollie.

Reports say in response to the reporter, Minister Nagbe repeatedly yelled at her to “go and ask her boyfriend, Representative Moses Kollie.”

The incident, which occurred during the President’s State of the Nation address in the Capitol Building in Monrovia, has drawn protests from media groups and the public in Liberia.

On January 24, the director of Power TV and veteran journalist Aaron Kollie, filed a complaint backed by a video of the incident with the Liberian Press Union which has taken up the matter.

Also, the Secretary General of the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), Antoinette Sendolo said in a statement: “We out-rightly denounce the irresponsible and unruly attitude of Mr. Nagbe and demand a prompt public apology to Madam Kemoh and the Female Journalists Association of Liberia because his comments have caused Madam Kemoh marital and professional embarrassment and has brought her to public ridicule.”

The Reporters Association of Liberia on their part says the attack was “unjustified and provocative.” In a press statement, the Association noted that accusing “Reporter Kemo who is a married woman, of having another man as a boyfriend without any proves, was unwarranted.”

The MFWA also finds it regrettable that a Minister of state could attempt to embarrass a journalist in public. It is offensive for the minister to allege without proof that the Power TV reporter is a girlfriend of his political rival. Mr. Nagbe’s behavior also amounts to chauvinism, and is unbecoming of a Minister of state. We therefore call on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to cause the matter to be investigated and to sanction the minister for a conduct that clearly reflects negatively on her government.

AFEX Urges Nigeria Police to Stop Harassing Journalists

Felicia Anthonio
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The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) calls on Nigeria’s Police to stop harassing journalists in the country following reports on freedom of expression violations recently recorded in the country.

There have been six recorded incidents of freedom of expression and press freedom violations recorded between January 10 and January 30, 2017. The police was responsible for five of the violations recorded while the court accounted for one violation. Some of the violations included arbitrary arrests, physical assault and censorship. Out of five incidents of arrest and detention recorded, three were bordered around criminal defamation charges.

On January 11, 2017, police arrested citizen journalist, Sowore Omoyele, the publisher of Sahara Reporters Blog, in Lagos for criminal defamation charges.

A UK-based journalist, Lekan Fatodu, had filed a complaint against Mr. Omoyele over criminal defamation, assault, threat to life and blackmail among others. The complainant (Mr. Fatodu) alleged that Mr. Sowore published a story indicting him of money laundering.

Confirming Sowore’s arrest, Ms Dolapo Badmos, the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, said Sowore was arrested in his home in Lagos by policemen attached to Area ‘F’ command, Ikeja. She said “The publisher was arrested this evening over threat to life and blackmail. Investigation is still going on.”

Mr. Omoyele who later narrated the story on Facebook, accused the police of being hostile towards him. He also accused Mr. Fatodu of assaulting him in the presence of the police.

“I was physically attacked today by a gang led by Lekan Fatodu… he assaulted me before police officers at Area ‘F’ in Ikeja in Lagos”, the post read.

Two days after the above mentioned incident, the Police on January 13, 2017, raided the office of Desmond Utomwen, Publisher of Fresh News, an online portal, and arrested him at about 11.34am in Abuja. The officers also confiscated Desmond Utomwen’s Laptop, Mobile phone, file and other official documents after a thorough search of his office before taking him to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) for questioning.

Mr. Utomwen was accused of criminal defamation and threat to life and property by Umar Farouk, a senior officer of the Nigerian Customs’ Service.

He was denied access to his lawyer and phone by the officers, saying the phone was an exhibit and could no longer be accessible by him. He was further asked to disclose the source of his information on Farouk, to which the reporter declined.

Desmond was granted bail following the intervention of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Centre against Brutality and for the Safety of Journalists in Africa (CABSOJA).

In another incident, Nigeria’s Police on January 19, 2017, stormed/raided the premises of the Premium Times, a news website and arrested the publisher and the judiciary correspondent Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi and Ms Evelyn Okakwu respectively without a warrant.

The Premium Times was accused by Nigerian Army of alleged defamatory publications against Lieutenant General T. Y. Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff and the conduct of   counter insurgency operations in the North. The arrest of the duo followed the refusal of the management of newspaper to retract news stories about the country’s army and its operations. The two journalists were released following widespread condemnation and intense media pressure over their arrest.

Similarly, on January 25, 2017, Nigeria’s security forces arrested, Ms Ujunwa Atueyi, a journalist working with privately owned daily newspaper, The Guardian. Ms Atueyi was arrested for taking pictures of some policemen and officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Unit who raided some motorists and passers-by in a suburb of Lagos. She was forced to delete photographs she had taken.

On January 29, 2017, Lagos State Police arrested Peter Eke, the publisher of Biafra Times newspaper and nine others for publication and circulation of alleged seditious and malicious materials.

The nine others who were arrested are: Jamiu Eke, Azeez Ayoola, Akeem Adebakin, Bisi Akeem, and Adewumi Temitope. The remaining includes Sakiru Folorunsho, Rafiu Qudus, Kunle Olusola and Ayodeji Odunyinbo.

Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos State Police Commissioner said that the printing press where the newspaper was printed has been shut down and the premises being monitored. According to the Police officer, “This is an offence punishable under the Criminal Law of Lagos State” adding that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as detectives finished interrogating them.

In an unrelated development, a Federal High Court Judge in Abuja, Justice Binta Nyako on January 10, 2017 barred journalists from covering the trial of Nnamdi Kanu, a leader of the pro-separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB).

Nnamdi Kanu and four others are being prosecuted by the Federal Government on 11 counts bordering on felony. According to reports, the journalists were later allowed into to the court after much protest but were confined to the back and a fabric used to blank them out of the proceedings.

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) calls on the police in Nigeria to be mindful of the rights of journalists when carrying out their law enforcement duties.

Also, AFEX expresses great concern about the existence of criminal libel law in Nigeria which continues to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Criminal defamation in Nigeria is punishable by law with up to two years of prison sentence if found guilty.

We also urge the Government of Nigeria to decriminalise defamation and seditious offences as these laws restrict the enjoyment of freedom of expression. Inasmuch as we call on the government to do so, AFEX appeals to journalists and media professionals in Nigeria and globally, to be more professional and circumspect in carrying out their journalistic duties.

 

Nigeria: Journalist Arrested, Forced to Delete Photographs

Felicia Anthonio
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In the morning of January 25, 2017, Ms Ujunwa Atueyi, a journalist with the privately-owned daily, ‘The Guardian, 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 by a police taskforce and city environment officers.

A seven-member team of policemen and officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences Unit conducted an operation to clear the Cele Bus Stop, along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

Atueyi who was on a beat at the station, captured the chaotic scene of fleeing motorists, passengers and passers-by on her mobile phone. Atueyi also captured one young man who was being brutalized by members of the taskforce on suspicion of having given a tip-off about the operation to the motorists. The reporter was arrested while taking pictures of the scene and was forced into a waiting Black Maria vehicle for interrogation.

The Guardian newspaper reported on its website that despite identifying herself as a journalist, Atueyi was driven away, together with two other people who were arrested. She was later transferred into a Toyota Hilux van by the team leader who interrogated her in an intimidating tone.

After, the interrogation, the team leader, whose name Atueyi did not know, she compelled her to delete the photographs she had taken and then collected and checked the phone to ensure that she had actually deleted them. Thereafter, he ordered the van driver to stop at Mile Two where he told the journalist: “Madam, you can come down here, we are sorry for the stress we caused you.” The van sped off after she alighted.

The journalist was performing her legitimate duty and so her arrest and detention by the members of the Lagos City taskforce was unwarranted. The MFWA therefore calls on the Lagos City authorities to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.

Arrests/Detentions, Physical Attacks Threaten FOE Rights in West Africa

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 30, 2017.

Arrests and detentions as well as physical attacks on journalists and media houses were the key feature of the MFWA’s freedom of expression rights monitoring reports for the fourth quarter of 2016.

The quarter covering October-December 2016 recorded fourteen cases of FOE rights violations in Benin, The Gambia, Guinea, Mauritania and Nigeria. The Gambia topped the list with seven violations while Nigeria came a distant second with three incidents while Guinea recorded two cases.

A total of 14 violations were recorded, six of which were arrests and detentions with two being physical attacks. The incidents of arrests and detentions also affected seven journalists.

“Arrests and detentions have an immediate deterrent effect in the sense that they instantly deprive the victims of their freedom to carry out their work, while physical attacks have the potential to cause long-term or even permanent incapacitation. The dominance of these two types of violations, is, therefore, quite alarming,” said Dora B. Mawutor, Programme Manager for Freedom of Expression Rights at the MFWA.

Another disturbing trend is the lead role of security agents in the violations. Security forces accounted for six (42%) of the violations.

During the preceding quarter (July-September, 2016), security agents perpetrated a massive 80% of the violations. This is a disturbing trend in which the state’s law enforcement agents have themselves become the leading violators of the law as far as respect for freedom of expression rights is concerned.

On a positive note, the number of countries (five out of 16 in West Africa) that recorded violations is the least since the Monitor was introduced in 2014.

While the decline in the number of incidents and the countries involved is a welcome development, the lack of political will to root out these violations or provide remedy when they occur is a major challenge. Attacks on journalists are often not treated as a crime, and the victims almost always go uncompensated. Where journalists are arbitrarily detained, their release from custody is often the only “reparation” they ever get. This situation must be addressed by all stakeholders, especially governments, given the dominant role of state actors in the violations contained in this report.

Read the full report here.

Somalia: Seven Journalists Wounded in Terrorist Attack

Felicia Anthonio
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Somalia: Seven Journalists Wounded in Terrorist Attack

This statement was originally published on nusoj.0rg on January 25, 2017.

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) on Wednesday expressed shock and disgust at terrorist attack in Mogadishu in which a hotel in the city center was targeted by two detonated explosive-laden cars and several innocent people were killed while many more were wounded.

In this terror attack, seven journalists who came to cover the attack was wounded. Among wounded journalists who were admitted to Madina hospital are: Abdulkadir Abdullahi Ga’al (HornCable TV), Farah Abdi Warsame (AP news agency), Abdulkadir Abdullahi (Radio Kulmiye), Yusuf Jama Abdullahi (Aljazeera TV) and Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP news agency). Journalists were wounded by second car which exploded some 15 minutes after first suicide bomber.

“We condemn the continued vile attacks against civilians. Given that the journalists were wounded by the explosion of the second car, today’s attack was also designed to hurt journalists who came to the sight to do their job,” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General.

NUSOJ says journalists have suffered a heavy toll in such terror and indiscriminate attacks on civilian people, and called on journalists to make extra precaution for their safety in such bloody and cruel attacks. “We wish wounded journalists a speedy recovery from their injuries” added Osman.

Halt Harassment of Premium Times Newspaper, IPC Calls for Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Media Freedom

Felicia Anthonio
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Halt Harassment of Premium Times Newspaper, IPC Calls for Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Media Freedom

This statement was originally published on Ipcng.org on January 20, 2017.

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria has described the invasion of the premises of Premium Times in Abuja and the subsequent arrest of its Publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi and the judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu by armed police men on the night of January 19, 2017, as an unacceptable assault on freedom of the Press.

Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said in a statement today (January 20, 2017), that the attack on Premium Times as well as the harassment of other journalistsin recent times are completely antithetical to democratic values and norms at the core of which are the rights to free speech and media freedom.

“Any government that makes the Press its enemy, will invariably turn to be the enemy of the people as was recently the case in The Gambia where Yaya Jammeh was rejected by the people due to his constant attacks on the Press among other human rights violations”, the IPC Director warned.

According to the IPC Director, the Police should not allow itself to be used to settle scores by vested interests, in this case the Army authorities,which have already made public its disagreement with Premium Times over certain publications by the media outlet pertaining to the office of the Chief of Army Staff.

“The Police should however make public its reasons for the raid of Premium Times and the arrest of Olorunyomi and Okakwu if they believe that it is not connected with the dispute with the Army authorities”, he said further.

Mr. Arogundade advised the Army authorities to seek legal redress or make use of the instrumentality of the media regulatory agencies, should they be convinced that there had been professional misconduct on the part of Premium Times and its editors.

The IPC Director, said however that the organization welcomes the fact that the Police authorities promptly released the arrested Publisher and Reporter following public outcry.

The IPC Director, also said that recent developments have made it imperative to have a national stakeholders’ dialogue involving media institutions, the security and law enforcement agencies, the media regulatory agencies etc, to discuss measures for safeguarding press freedom and the sustenance of democratic values.

AFEX Urges Cameroon Government to Protect Freedom of Expression amidst Protests

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Urges Cameroon Government to Protect Freedom of Expression amidst Protests

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) is concerned about the deteriorating freedom of expression and press freedom situation in Cameroon amidst ongoing protests in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

Since November 2016 there have been series of protests and strike actions in the English-speaking North-west and South-west regions stemming from the government’s decision to introduce the use of French language in courts and in schools of the two regions.

Cameroon is made up of ten regions, eight of which are predominantly Francophone regions whilst two are Anglophone.

In the government’s attempt to bring calm to Bamenda and other parts of Cameroon, there have been reports of freedom of expression and human rights violations between November 2016 and January 2017.

There have been reported incidents of mass arrests in North-west Cameroon since the protests begun in November 2016. According to media reports at least 100 people were arrested on November 23, 2016 – two days after the protests begun on November 21. There have also been reports of the use of excessive force to disperse protesters, media censorship threats including closure of radio stations and internet shutdown in the two regions.

Local media reported that in an attempt to disperse protesters on December 8, 2016 Cameroon’s security forces fired live bullets and teargas which resulted in the death of four people leaving several others injured.

According to media reports, on January 11, 2017, police stormed the premises of Radio Hot Cocoa and ordered the suspension of all activities of the station until further notice. The station was accused by the governor of the region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique of inciting tensions among Anglophone residents in a call-in radio discussion about the ongoing teachers’ strike in the region. Teachers and lawyers have been on strike for the past three months in protest of the imposition of French language in educational and judicial institutions in the two regions.

In a similar development, the Divisional Officer of Jakiri, Mr Ngembane Daniel Ekole, on January 12, 2017 ordered the closure of Jakiri Community Radio station, following the broadcast of a message by a Member of Parliament (MP), Joseph Wirba. The MP’s message called on the people to mobilise at the Kumbo Square, headquarters of Bui Division to discuss the crisis in the affected regions. The station was however reopened the following day (January 13).

Aside the violations mentioned above, there have been reports of internet disruptions since January 17, 2017 in North-western and South-western regions, according to AFEX sources in Cameroon. At the time of writing this statement, internet connection was still unavailable in these regions.

The reports of internet blockage came shortly after the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Mr. Rene Emmanuel Sadi declared the activities of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC) illegal.

Meanwhile, two leaders of the Consortium, Dr. Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla and Dr. Fontem A. Neba were also arrested on the same day (January 17, 2017) and are currently still being detained. There have also been reports of mass arrests following the ban on the consortium and its activities.

The right to freedom of expression and of the press is enshrined in the 1996 Constitution of Cameroon. The constitution also guarantees the freedom to peaceful protests. In addition, the preamble of Cameroon’s National Constitution explicitly commits Cameroon to respect regional and international frameworks which provide for the enjoyment of freedom of expression and human rights. The constitution specifically mentions the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter all of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and access to information.

Violating the rights of citizens in the process is therefore unacceptable and contrary to the provisions of the constitution of Cameroon as well as other regional and international instruments mentioned herein. It is therefore imperative for the government of Cameroon to take urgent steps to remedy the situation and demonstrate its commitment to these regional and international frameworks by observing them fully in practice.

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange urges the government and the aggrieved citizens to resort to dialogue in resolving this issue to ensure that human rights are respected and upheld in Cameroon.

The Gambia: Licenses of Four Radio Stations Revoked

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 10, 2017.

The Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure of The Gambia has revoked the licenses of Hilltop Radio, Afri Radio, Taranga FM and Paradise FM.

 In a letter addressed to the four radio stations, Saul Njie who signed the letter on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, said, “I am directed to inform you that your license to operate has been revoked with immediate effect. Thank you for your cooperation.” There was no reason assigned for the revocation of the license of the radio stations neither was there a clear indication as to who had directed him to revoke the licenses of the target stations.

The revocation of the licenses of the four radio stations implies that the stations have been forced to close down until their licenses are reinstated. 

The revocation of the licenses of the radio stations comes days after they were ordered to cease broadcasting. Hilltop Radio, Afri Radio, and Taranga FM were ordered by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to stop broadcasting on January 1, 2017. Afri Radio was however allowed on air on January 3, 2017 on condition that the station will play only music.

In the case of Paradise FM it was ordered by persons claiming to be from the Ministry of Communication to cease broadcasting on January 8.

While there have been no official communication on the reasons for the order to cease broadcasting and subsequent revocation of the licenses of the radio stations on January 9, many believe it is as a result of the radio stations’ coverage of activities of President-Elect Adama Barrow and his impending inauguration scheduled for January 19, 2017.

 The MFWA condemns the revocation of the licenses of the media organisations. In the wake of a political crisis in The Gambia after President Yahya Jammeh refused to accept the outcome of the December 1, 2016 elections in which he lost to Adama Barrow, vibrant media have become extra necessary to keep the public informed about happenings in the country. We therefore urge the authorities in The Gambia to ensure that freedom of expression, press freedom and access to information are respected in the country.

 

Nigeria: Police Arrest Publisher of Online News Portal for Alleged Defamation

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 14, 2014.

Nigerian police have arrested Desmond Utomwen, publisher of FreshNews, an online journal, following a defamation complaint by a custom official. The police also seized files and equipment from his office.

The MFWA’s correspondent in Nigeria reports that at 11.34 am on January 13, 2017, police officers led by Anthony Enobakhare and Abubakar Iweafeno, showed a warrant of arrest and proceeded to search the publisher’s office before arresting him.

The officers confiscated Utomwen’s laptop, mobile phone, file and other official documents before taking him away to the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, FCIID in Area 10, Garki, Abuja, for questioning.

Utomwen, who was denied access to his lawyer, was eventually released on bail later that day following the intervention of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Centre against Brutality and for the Safety of Journalists in Africa (CABSOJA).

The arrest followed a petition by the legal counsel to Umar Faruk, a senior officer of the Nigerian Customs Service who alleged that publisher had defamed him. The defamation case goes back to August 2016 when FreshNews contacted Faruk for his reaction to some information it had obtained about him which could ruin his reputation. Observing the ethics of journalism, FreshNEWS decided not to publish the story until it has received Faruk’s response.

Our correspondent says the operation was apparently aimed at destroying or seizing all documents related to the allegations about Faruk.

It is clearly unacceptable for a publisher to be arrested and for his media house to be ransacked simply for possessing and not necessarily publishing information about a public figure. The MFWA calls on the Nigerian police to ensure that all the equipment and documents seized from Utomwen are returned to him.

The Gambia: Seven Foreign Journalists Expelled

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 17, 2017.

Seven journalists who had gone to The Gambia to cover the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Adama Barrow, were on January 16, 2017 prevented from entering the country.

The MFWA’s sources say upon arriving at the Banjul International Airport, security officers briefly detained the journalists at the airport and later deported them to neighbouring Senegal.

According to the sources, four of the journalists were from the regional bureau of CCTV in Kenya, one photojournalist from AFP and two journalists on assignment for  Swedish Blankspot.

The expulsion of the seven journalists brings to nine the number of foreign journalists deported from the country. On December 12, 2016, two journalists with Al Jazeera were prevented from covering post-election activities in The Gambia and were detained overnight and subsequently deported to Senegal.

The MFWA condemns the detention and subsequent deportation of the journalists. The current developments in The Gambia require a vibrant media to keep the citizens and the international community informed. The nation is facing a political crisis following President Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to accept the December 1, 2016 elections result after losing to Adama Barrow. In a bid to prevent the media from covering post-election activities and the impending inauguration of President-elect Barrow, the outgoing regime has resorted to a severe crackdown on the media, civil society activists and citizens in which there have been arrests, detentions and shutdown of radio stations in the country. The MFWA urges the Gambian government led by out-going President Yahya Jammeh to respect freedom of expression and press freedom and allow both the local and international media to do their work without any interference.

MISA Malawi Questions Shutdown of Times Group over Tax Default

Felicia Anthonio
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0

MISA-Malawi is disturbed by news of the closure this morning of Blantyre Printing and Publishing Company (Times Group) offices by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) over unpaid taxes.

While MISA Malawi does not condone default on taxes, we strongly believe that the closure of Times Group is ill-timed and can easily be construed as an attempt by government to stop the media house from further publication of the ‘maize gate’ investigation specifically, and to silence critical voices generally. The issue of unpaid taxes could have been resolved through mutual business negotiations.

The closure of Times Group comes less than a week after the Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC) sought an injunction restraining the media outlet from publishing stories on the ‘maize gate.’

The move by MRA (see MRA statement) will deny Malawians access to relevant information and is likely to tarnish the image of the Peter Mutharika administration. The move is also likely to affect the operations of Times Radio and Times Television, in addition to those of Times newspapers.

MISA Malawi believes that the best approach would have been to engage the management of the Times Group and resolve the matter in an amicable manner. We therefore appeal to the MRA and President Mutharika to re-open Times Group offices and allow for a progressive means of resolving the tax matter.

Such a move will help to clear the impression that government has started taking systematic steps to suffocate the media, thereby strangling our young democracy in the process.

Niger: Shirking Accountability – Municipal Authorities Ban Protest March against Maladministration

Felicia Anthonio
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0

This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on January 14, 2017.

The municipal authorities in Niamey have prohibited a demonstration planned by civil society in Niger to demand better public service delivery.

According to the MFWA correspondent, a coalition of civil society organisations in the Nigerien capital scheduled a march on January 13, 2017. The protest march was to be climaxed with a rally to denounce inefficient governance of the city. However, the mayor, Assane Seydou formally notified the organisers on January 12 that the protest is prohibited.

Following the prohibition order, the organisers appealed the decision at the Niamey Tribunal. But to their disappointment, the court ruled in favour of the city authorities, citing “security reasons.”

Meanwhile, Article 23 of Niger’s constitution says “the State recognizes and guarantees the freedom of movement, the freedoms of association, assembly, procession and manifestation within the conditions defined by the law.

“Of course one of the conditions defined by law is manifest threat to public peace or national security. In the present instance, the defendants did not adduce any compelling evidence of real or even remote threat to public peace,” our correspondent reported.

The MFWA appeals to the authorities in Niamey to respect citizens’ right to publicly express their views about the administration of their city, including through demonstrations. As representatives and servants of the people, the municipal authorities should not shy away from demands for accountability and efficient public service delivery.

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