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Liberia: Journalist Detained for Republishing Story on President of Equatorial Guinea

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published by mfwa.org on September 20

On September 15, 2016, Festus Poquie, a journalist and editor of New Democrat, in Mnewspaper onrovia, was arrested and taken to the headquarters of the Liberian National Police where he was detained for several hours before being released.

The MFWA’s national partner in Liberia, the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuiling (CEMESP), reported that Poquie’s detention was as a result of a story republished by his newspaper on September 13, 2016.

The story, originally published by UK-based Daily Mail, contained details of alleged acts of cannibalism by the President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

CEMESP reports the police as saying that Poquie was arrested and detained because his newspaper failed to contact the Government of Equatorial Guinea to verify claims made in the story by Thomas Burrows – the original author of the news story. Poquie was later released following the intervention of the Press Union of Liberia and human rights lawyer Taiwon Gongoloe.

The Liberian Minister of Information, Eugene Lenn Nagbe, is reported to have called for the newspaper to be penalized and made to retract the story.

Meanwhile CEMESP has criticised the action by the Liberian government, contending that the act “undermines all efforts being made towards decriminalizing speech in Liberia.”

The Press Union of Liberia has also condemned Poquoi’s arrest. The Union said that the journalists should not be arrested for culling a story since “it is a normal journalism practice.”

Freedom of Expression Online under Attack in Tanzania

Felicia Anthonio
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Freedom of Expression Online under Attack in Tanzania

Freedom of expression online is under attack in Tanzania as the Government abuses legal and judicial processes to suppress critical voices on the Internet, in violation of regional and international human rights standards.

In a recent example, five Tanzanian internet users were on September 14, 2016 arraigned before a Tanzanian Court on charges of insulting President John Magufuli on social media.

According to the Kenyan weekly, The East African, the accused were separately charged with five counts of sharing offensive content targeting the president and the police between August 24 and 30, this year, contrary to Section 118(a) of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act No. 3 of 2010.

The five persons are Dennis Temu, Suleiman Nassoro, ShakiraMakame, Juma Mtatuu and Dennis Mtegwa. They appeared before different magistrates where they have denied the charges leveled against them.

According to media reports, one of the accused, Mr Mtegwa allegedly posted an abusive and offensive comment on a WhatsApp group in Kiswahili translated in English as: “I don’t know what is going on in JPM’s head… He doesn’t even know how to say sorry. We are at this stage because of one person who believes that what he thinks is always right…he needs to understand that politics isn’t about resentment and the Opposition isn’t an enemy…he should learn to compete with the Opposition on the basis of debate, not force.”

The prosecution also alleged that the other four, namely Mr Temu, Mr Nassoro, Ms Shakira and Mr Mtatuu shared a post through Facebook and WhatsApp that was intended to turn the public against the police.

“While they are preparing to fight the Opposition, criminals are preparing to commit crime,” part of the message reads.

The paper reported that the five were released on bail of 500,000 Tanzanian Shillings (about $230) each after defence lawyer Tundu Lissu objected to a request by the prosecution that they be remanded in custody pending completion of investigations. The cases have been adjourned to September 27, 2016, the paper added.

In a similar development, a Court in Arusha, also in Tanzania, in June 2016 sentenced a Tanzanian internet user to three years imprisonment or a fine of seven million Tanzanian Shillings (USD 3,200) for insulting the President on Facebook.

Amidst protests by civil society actors, Tanzania’s government enacted the Cybercrimes Act in April 2015. The law penalizes a wide range of cyber activities.

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) is seriously concerned that Tanzania citizens are being prosecuted for expressing their opinions about issues that affect them directly.

Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Chairperson of the AFEX Steering Committee, said:  There can be no justification for these actions by the Government of Tanzania to suppress legitimate comments and criticisms by its citizens in the exercise of their human and democratic rights.  The Government’s actions constitute a blatant violation of its obligations under regional and international human rights laws, especially having regard to the December 5, 2014 decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights delivered in a landmark judgment in Lohé Issa Konaté v. The Republic of Burkina Faso.

He therefore called on Tanzanian authorities to drop the charges against the five persons in question and urged the African Union to take urgent steps to ensure that its members comply with applicable human rights standards as well as the decisions of regional human rights courts and similar institutions.

For further information, please contact Felicia Anthonio [email protected], or visit the AFEX website at www.africafex.org.

NUSOJ Urges Somali Government to Act on UN Secretary General’s Report

Felicia Anthonio
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NUSOJ Urges Somali Government to Act on UN Secretary General’s Report

This statement was originally published on www.nusoj.org on 18 September, 2016.

Alarming report by the UN Secretary General shows that intimidation and reprisals against civil society representatives seeking to cooperate with the UN to promote and protect human rights are worsening, with the UN Secretary-General calling on Governments, the UN Human Rights Council and the UN as a whole to adopt urgent measures to prevent and promote accountability for such attacks.

Presented to the UN Human Rights Council’s ongoing 33rd session on 16 September 2016, one of the prominent cases stated in the UN Secretary General report is the reprisal whose perpetrator is the Federal Government of Somalia against Secretary General of NUSOJ Omar Faruk Osman for his cooperation with the UN Human Rights system, particularly the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Somali government’s act of reprisal which is cited in the UN Secretary General report states:

“27. On 3 May 2016, a group of mandate holders raised allegations of reprisals against Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary General of the Federation of Somali Trade Unions and of the National Union of Somali Journalists, for his cooperation with ILO (see A/HRC/33/32, SOM 2/2016). On 23 April 2016, Mr. Osman had been summoned to the Office of the Attorney General where he was informed that, on 29 February 2016, the Attorney General had submitted a complaint against him to the National Prosecutor General. The Attorney General had asked the Prosecutor to bring a criminal case against Mr. Osman for, inter alia, harming relations between the Government and the international organizations and spreading issues that would harm the reputation of the Government, and to prevent Mr. Osman from travelling and confiscating his passport for the duration of the investigation. It is alleged that the request was directly linked to a letter sent by ILO to the Government of Somalia on 22 February 2016, as it was based on a complaint submitted to it by the above-mentioned unions. In its letter, ILO urged the Government to respect its international obligations regarding the rights to freedom of assembly and association (ibid.). At the time of finalization of the present report, no response had been received from the Government.”

According to the Secretary-General, “continuing intimidation and reprisals against individuals and groups who seek to cooperate, are cooperating or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights remain of grave concern. Every such act chips away a small piece of the work accomplished by the United Nations in the field of human rights. Such acts not only devastate the lives of the individuals concerned, and their families, but also have a deterrent effect that may undermine future cooperation.”

“The cases included in the present and in previous reports show that acts of intimidation and reprisal continue to range from harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and detention, including incommunicado and solitary confinement, travel bans, charges and sentencing, sometimes to lengthy prison terms, acts of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including physical attacks and sexual abuse, denial of access to medical attention in detention, to, in extreme cases, death,” added the report.

“I reiterate that any act of intimidation or reprisal against individuals or groups for their engagement with the United Nations, its mechanisms and representatives in the field of human rights is completely unacceptable and must be halted, immediately and unconditionally. Civil society representatives are indispensable partners for the United Nations. Any act of intimidation or reprisal against them undermines the effective functioning of the United Nations as a whole. We must therefore step up efforts and collectively condemn such acts and take all measures necessary to ensure that all individuals and groups, without exception, may cooperate freely and safely with the United Nations, its mechanisms and representatives in the field of human rights” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Commenting on behalf of NUSOJ, Abdirisak Omar Ismail, President of Supreme Council of NUSOJ said: The cases documented in this new report, including Somalia case, are truly disturbing. This report exposes the horrific human cost of cooperating with the UN and its human rights system. We welcome the increased attention devoted to reprisals suffered by our union and its Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman. The primary responsibility to prevent and redress reprisals lies with the Federal Government of Somalia. Clearly Somali government is perpetrators of this reprisal. In this regard we strongly support the UN Secretary-General’s calls for States to refrain from, prevent, investigate and ensure accountability for cases of intimidation and reprisal”.

On 15 September 2016, ILO Director General Guy Ryder received at his office the Secretary General of NUSOJ Omar Faruk Osman, and discussed the increased violations of the right to freedom of association and trade union rights in Somalia. ILO boss has reassured its commitment to promote and protect human and trade union rights in Somalia despite the difficult and dangerous environment in which they operate.

MFWA Remembers Journalists, Others Killed in Guinea

Felicia Anthonio
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MFWA Remembers Journalists, Others Killed in Guinea

This statement was originally published on www.mfwa.org on September 16, 2016.

Two years ago today, amidst the ravages of Ebola in Guinea, three journalists and five others were killed by a mob in Womey village.

On the anniversary of the tragic event of September 16, 2014, the MFWA remembers the three murdered journalists: Facely Camara, a reporter with Radio Liberté FM in Womey, together with Molou Chérif and Sidiki Sidibé, a journalist and a technician respectively with a community radio station in Nzérékoré (about 50km from Womey). The three were killed while accompanying a team on an Ebola sensitisation campaign.

We also pay homage to the five other mission members, who included health professionals and a religious leader. These five were: Moriba Touré, Deputy Head of Administation of Womey; Dr Ibrahima Fernandez, Director of Health Services of N’Zérékoré; Dr Ibrahima Saliou Barry; Deputy Director General of the N’Zérékoré regional hospital; Pépé Kpogohomou; Director of the Womey Health Centre; and Moïse Mamy, a Pastor.

Instigated by rumours that the health team was in town to spread Ebola among the populace, some villagers attacked the team with stones, sticks and cutlasses. In the course of the mobbing, the villagers killed eight of the team members. Fortunately, other members of the team narrowly escaped, albeit with horrific injuries.

The MFWA remains saddened by the deaths of the journalists and the five others. Fortunately, the authorities in Guinea ensured justice for the victims by convicting 11 of the culprits on April 21, 2015. The perpetrators received life sentences for their crime.

We call on the media in Guinea to work with health professionals in order to sustain their Ebola prevention campaigns. The MFWA also urges all governments in West Africa to resource the media and collaborate to ensure during epidemics, journalists are equipped to spread accurate, trustworthy information to citizens. Finally, we reiterate our calls to media organisations as well as public and private institutions hosting media personnel to ensure their safety, especially while reporting on sensitive issues.

AFEX Denounces Indefinite Closure of Private Newspaper in South Sudan

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Denounces Indefinite Closure of Private Newspaper in South Sudan

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) and its member, the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS) denounce the indefinite closure of the Nation Mirror newspaper by South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS).

According to a statement issued by AMDISS on September 15, 2016, authorities of the National Security Service in South Sudan summoned the management of the Nation Mirror newspaper to its head office at Jebel on September 14, 2016 and ordered the paper to cease publication with immediate effect. The management of the paper reported that there was no official reason given for the decision.

However, according to media reports, the decision to shut down the paper comes a few weeks after management of the paper was repeatedly summoned to the premises of the NSS. Additionally, the security service had demanded the removal of at least two articles from different editions of the paper before publication.

The NSS has over the years closed down media organisations for critical reporting on issues affecting the government. In 2015, the NSS closed down about five media organisations in South Sudan. The NSS has the authority to monitor communications, conduct searches and detain suspects including journalists.

AFEX joins AMDISS to condemn the closure of the newspaper as an act of intimidation and an affront to freedom of expression. The media in South Sudan has come under increased attack since the outbreak of the civil war in December 2013. Journalists and media professionals continue to work under dangerous conditions.

We call on South Sudan’s National security to re-open the newspaper unconditionally and allow the Nation Mirror newspaper to operate freely. Authorities in South Sudan must ensure the press carries out its duty without interference from any quarters. Shutting down the newspaper is a threat to free speech and an attempt to deprive citizens of their right to access to information.

Uganda: Police Interrogates Two Journalists over their Work

Felicia Anthonio
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Uganda: Police Interrogates Two Journalists over their Work

This statement was originally published on www.hrnjuganda.org on September 15, 2016.

Two journalists have been interrogated by the Crime Investigations and Intelligence Department of the Uganda police over their work.

Benon Tugumisiirize, formerly of Red Pepper newspaper was arrested on 14th September 2016 as he left Buganda Road Magistrates court where he had gone to attend his trial on criminal defamation. Earlier on, Fred Mukasa Kiku, a journalist with Pearl FM radio and talk show host called ‘Bigenze bitya mu Palaamenti’ was also summoned by the Police’s media crime unit and interrogated over a talk show he hosted in July 2016.

“Mbonimpa arrested me at Buganda Road Court and put me on a commercial motorcycle (Boda boda) then whisked me off to the CIID headquarters. I did not know the crimes labeled against me” Benon told HRNJ-Uganda at the CIID Headquarters at Kibuli.

Benon was quizzed for over five hours, made a statement and released without charge. Police suspects that the journalist was involved in circulating pornography. The head of Media Crime unit, Emmanuel Mbonimpa, told HRNJ-Uganda that they are carrying inquiries over story which appeared in Red Pepper newspaper . The police say the matter was reported by a one Peninah Tukamwesiga.

A day before, the same police department, interrogated Kiku over a radio talk show he hosted on 15th July 2016, in which the day’s guest Mzee Bwanika is alleged to have made defamatory statements against the Managing Director of UMEME. Mbonimpa told HRNJ-Uganda, MzeeBwanika while at the show said the tribal clashes in the Rwenzori Sub-region were politically motivated and secretly financed by notable personalities in government.

Defamation cases against journalists are on the rise in Uganda with many powerful personalities using the law against journalists. HRNJ-Uganda and other partners have since challenged the law on defamation in the East African Court of justice.

“Journalists’ work should not be criminalized by using such laws to scare away journalists from critical reporting. The police should investigate the reported case expeditiously,” said Robert Ssempala the National Coordinator.

AFEX Members Reaffirm Commitment to Digital Rights in Africa

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Members Reaffirm Commitment to Digital Rights in Africa

Introduction

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) held its 4thAnnual General Meeting (AGM) in Grahamstown, South Africa, on August 31, 2016.  The AGM was preceded by a two-day capacity building training workshop on Digital Rights Advocacy for AFEX member organizations, as a follow up to a similar workshop held in Accra, Ghana, in January 2016, for African freedom of expression and media rights organisations.

The two-day capacity building training was held on the sidelines of the 20th edition of the Highway Africa Conference organized by the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University in South Africa with the theme: “The Internet and the Media – Celebrations, Reflections and the Future“.  The Highway Africa Conference is the largest annual gathering of African journalists in the world.

The objective of the AFEX workshop was to build the capacity of African freedom of expression and media rights organisations to enable them to more effectively promote and defend freedom of expression and human rights on the continent, especially in the online and digital environments.

The training was motivated by the need for the AFEX network to increase its engagement in digital rights advocacy in Africa amidst increasing incidents of internet or social media shutdowns; continuing attacks on journalists online and offline, accompanied by impunity for such crimes against journalists and other human rights defenders, as well as the need to safeguard of freedom of expression in Africa as a necessary corollary to democratic consolidation.

As part of its participation in the Highway Africa Conference, AFEX presented two sessions, the first being a panel discussion on the topic: “Confronting the Media Sustainability Challenge in Africa” at a parallel workshop on the first day of the conference. The second was another panel discussion at a plenary session on the second and final day titled “Hands Off Our Internet: Internet Regulation and Journalism in Africa“.

Observations and Resolutions

AFEX member organizations in attendance at the AGM and the training observed that Internet shutdowns have become a common and regular instrument adopted by several African governments to stifle free speech during important national events, particularly elections.

They cited the findings contained in a report issued by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), a leading centre for research on ICT policies in Africa. The report indicated that there have been 16 recorded incidents of internet shutdowns during the first half of 2016 (January to June). AFEX members described the trend as very worrying.

In particular, they cited some of the latest examples of such incidents as taking place in Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Tunisia, Mali, with the latest being Gabon. AFEX members added that these countries have shut down the Internet during general elections, protests or other national events and that in all these incidents, the free expression rights of citizens have been violated as they are deprived of the right of access to information, in addition to interference with other human rights.

AFEX members endorsed efforts by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, to get State actors and the private sector to work closely together to ensure the existence of a free and open Internet.

However, they expressed concern that access to the Internet has yet to be officially recognised by the United Nations as a human right despite resolutions by UN bodies guaranteeing freedom of expression, the right to privacy and other human rights online.

AFEX Members therefore called on the UN to expedite processes at the level of its General Assembly to formally pronounce Internet access a human right given its centrality to the exercise and enjoyment of human rights online as well as to development.

They commended UNESCO for proclaiming September 28 of every year as the “International Day for Universal Access to Information”, noting that African leadership, both at the level of governments and civil society, led to the proclamation of the Day.

AFEX Members called on African governments to take advantage of the first official celebration of the Day later this September to guarantee their citizens access to information. They called on countries that are yet to adopt access to information laws to do so as a matter of urgency while those which already have such laws were urged to take measures to ensure their effective implementation.

The members reaffirmed the commitment of AFEX to Digital Rights and Freedoms as well as the safety of journalists in Africa and resolved to campaign against Internet shutdowns across the continent.

A new Steering Committee was elected during the General Meeting to lead AFEX over the next two years.  Members elected Mr Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA) in Nigeria, as Chairperson of the Steering Committee.  Other elected members are:  Mr. Gilbert Sendugwa of the African Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) in Uganda; Mr. Tuver Wundi of Journaliste en Danger (JED) in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Mr. Sulemana Braimah of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

 AFEX members also admitted three new members into the network, namely the International Press Centre (IPC) in Nigeria; the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), also in Nigeria; and the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), based in South Sudan.

 Other members represented at the AFEX meeting were Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda (HRNJ), the Centre for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).

 AFEX is a continental network of prominent freedom of expression organisations across East, West, Central and Southern Africa that are members of the Toronto-based global network IFEX.

For more information about AFEX, please contact Felicia Anthonio [email protected], or visit the AFEX website at www.africafex.org.

Uganda: Police ‘summons’ journalist over a Facebook post

Felicia Anthonio
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Uganda: Police ‘summons’ journalist over a Facebook post

This statement was originally published on www.hrnjuganda.org on September 1, 2016.

Police in Moroto District, North Eastern Uganda summoned a freelance journalist, Teba Arukol, over a Facebook post about the Karamajong cultural leaders.

The journalist, who reported yesterday morning at Moroto Central Police Station, told Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda, the Criminal Intelligence Officer Moroto called ordering him to report to the station. But when he reported the officer was not there and when he called he did not pick his calls.

Teba, while at Police, another officer told him that the reason they wanted him was about the statement he posted on his Facebook page on Sunday 29th August 2016 regarding the Karamoja cultural leaders who went to Kenya to attend the Turkana Cultural and Tourism event. The journalist recorded a statement and released without charge. Police asked for photocopies of his passport and national identity card.

The District Police Commander Moroto, ASP Turyanyomwe Edison, told HRNJ-Uganda the journalist posted information that tainted the images of the cultural leaders on Facebook, adding that “he has recorded a statement and is going away”.

Teba posted on Karamoja Development Foundation Facebook page that Karimajong leaders rushed to attend a cultural function in Kenya after shunning their own activity that was organized in Karamoja. He alleged that the leaders were paid 50,000 Kenyan shillings by their host for honoring the invitation.

This comes after SadatI Waligo, a Red Pepper correspondent in Lyantode District was charged with criminal defamation over a Facebook post that he made against the Resident District Commissioner Tugaragara Matojo Sulaiman. The case is before the Lyantonde Magistrates Court and is coming up for hearing on 30th September 2016.

Togo: Security Forces Brutally Suppress Peaceful Protest by Locals

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published on mfwa.org on August 29, 2016.

Scores of indigenes of a Togolese community protesting against the activities of a new phosphate mining company on their land have been injured in a brutal intervention by security forces.

The incident occurred on August 22, 2016 at Abobo-Zéglé, some twenty kilometres North-East of the capital, Lome.

The MFWA’s sources say the community has been asked by government to evacuate their homes to resettle at a new place: a bare land with no structures, water or electricity.

“They are dislodging us from our ancestral village in the name of phosphate mining. But they have not provided the necessary facilities at the new site,” Komivi Adékpuivi, an influential figure in the village told journalists.

According to Adékpuivi, anytime authorities promised to meet them to discuss their concerns, they (authorities) did not show up.  “Meanwhile, they are mining right under the foundations of our buildings and raining dust on us,” he added.

Led by their local council leaders, the people therefore organised a peaceful march to draw attention to their plight. However, the security forces went to the scene and descended on the protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets. The security forces reportedly did not limit their brutality to the demonstration grounds as they fired some into people’s homes. This resulted in a melee in which scores were injured either by being trampled on or by the tear gas and bullets.

The injured were later hospitalised and treated.

The MFWA condemns the brutal repression of a peaceful march by vulnerable locals who were only exercising their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. We call on the authorities to investigate the matter and ensure that the victims have redress.

Mauritania: 13 Anti-Slavery Activists Jailed

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published by mfwa.org on

Thirteen anti-slavery activists in Mauritania have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to fifteen years in prison in a suspected crackdown on anti-slavery activity.

The court found the 13 people, all members of the human rights group, Initiative pour la Resurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste (IRA) guilty on August 19, 2016 of counts including “rebellion, use of violence, attacks against the government, armed assembly and membership of an unrecognised organisation.” Three of the accused were sentenced to 15 years each, eight to 5 years and while the remaining two were given a two years each.

The judgment has been condemned by human rights organisations as an attempt to intimidate anti-slavery campaigners.

The activists were without lawyers at the time of their sentencing as their lawyers boycotted the sitting on August 17 in protest of an alleged torture of their clients and unfair proceedings.

The IRA leaders including vice presidents, Brahim Ramdane and Diop Amadou Tidjane as well as Secretary for External Relations, Balla Touré, were arrested in their homes between June and early July after the government accused them of being involved in violent protests against the state by evicted locals in Ksar, a slum community in the capital, Nouakchott.

The convicted activists have denied this and said although their organisation openly opposed the eviction exercise of the settlers in Ksar, they were not part of the demonstration. They have described their sentencing as “crackdown on their anti-slavery activities.”

As slavery implicates both the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, the MFWA equally considers the sentencing of the anti-slavery activists as an attempt to restrict freedom of expression and association and also to frustrate the work of anti-slavery activists in Mauritania. Although Mauritania officially abolished slavery in 1981 and it criminalised in 2007, modern-day slavery is still practiced and widespread in Mauritania where members of the Haratin or “slave caste” are forced by their masters to do menial, unpaid jobs as cattle herders and domestic servants.

Last year, the government passed a law that doubled prison terms for practicing slavery. In November 2015, after Mauritania’s Universal Periodic Review, the state accepted recommendations to promote human rights and increase awareness-raising campaigns on the prohibition of slavery. The state also accepted to expand public awareness campaigns against slavery. Critics however say there has been little practical commitment to ending the menace, as few offenders have been prosecuted, despite the open and widespread practice of slavery. The state has however consistently been hostile to anti-slavery activists and the recent sentencing of the 13 anti-slavery activists is proof of the state’s unwillingness to end slavery.

We call on the authorities in Mauritania to release the IRA activists and encourage dialogue and collaboration in the fight against slavery.

AFEX Holds Capacity Building Workshop on Digital Rights for Media Advocacy Groups in Africa

Felicia Anthonio
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AFEX Holds Capacity Building Workshop on Digital Rights for Media Advocacy Groups in Africa

The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) will hold a two-day digital rights capacity building workshop on August 29 & 30, 2016, in Grahamstown, South Africa.

The training under the theme “Empowering Freedom of Expression Organisations in Africa for Effective Digital Rights Advocacy” will bring together 12 experts representing the most prominent freedom of expression and media rights groups across Africa.

Internet penetration is rapidly increasing in African countries, especially with the advent of social media platforms, which allow millions of individuals to discuss a wide range of issues in real time. The rapid technological advancement and development of the internet have resulted in new forms of threats online, hence the need to regulate the internet to ensure online safety and privacy of citizens. However, in their attempt to regulate the internet, some governments adopt repressive legislation that restrict free expression online. Most of the policies adopted by governments, especially in Africa do not protect and promote human rights in relation to the internet and digital technologies.

According to the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, most African countries lack meaningful mechanisms for inclusive participation of citizens and key stakeholders in the processes of formulating frameworks and legislative instruments on internet and digital rights.

It is against this backdrop and related digital rights issues that the training on digital rights is being organised to deepen participants’ knowledge on the topic and introduce them to modern strategies to engage stakeholders at the national, regional and international levels on how to influence internet policy formulation regarding free expression and human rights online.

The digital rights workshop organised by AFEX is supported by the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). It is a follow-up to the training that was held in January 2016, in Accra, Ghana. The workshop is in line with AFEX’s commitment to building the capacity of African free expression and media rights organisations to enable them to campaign effectively on freedom of expression and human rights challenges on the continent.

AFEX is a continental network of freedom of expression (FoE) organisations spread across East, West, South and Central Africa that are also members of IFEX. The Media Foundation for West Africa, based in Accra, Ghana, serves as the Secretariat for the network. Other members of the AFEX network are: Media Institute of Southern Africa, Media Rights Agenda, Africa Freedom of Information Centre and Centre for Media Studies and Peacebuilding. The rest are: Journaliste en Danger, National Union of Somali Journalists, West African Journalists Association, and Human Rights Network for Journalists- Uganda.

For more information about AFEX, contact Dora B. Mawutor at [email protected] or write to AFEX email address, [email protected], or visit the AFEX website at www.africafex.org.

Mali: Social Media Blackout

Felicia Anthonio
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This statement was originally published by MFWA on August 19, 2016.

There has been a suspected social media shutdown in Mali since August 17, 2016.

Reports say citizens are unable to access social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, while WhatsApp and Viber users are experiencing intermittent disruptions.

The social media blackout coincides with a turbulent day in the capital Bamako where a misinformation on social media resulted in a clash between the police and a mob protesting the arrest and “planned prosecution” of a popular journalist Mohamed Bathily.

Reports say supporters of the detained radio presenter, Mohamed Bathily, used social media to mobilise for an invasion of the premises of a Magistrate’s Court in Commune 1 of Bamako where the journalist’s case was lodged.

The MFWA’s correspondent in Mali reported that after the clash between the protesters and the police, gory images of the violent clash which were splashed on social media reportedly fuelled public anger over the police brutalities. Hours later, citizens started complaining about having difficulties accessing the social media sites.

However, the government has denied shutting down or interfering with social media as a counter measure.

According to the MFWA’s correspondent, after a prolonged silence on the matter, the government in an official statement on August 18, denied shutting down or interfering with the social media sites. The Ministry of Communication said the disruption could be due to a technical problem.

The telecommunication regulatory body, Agence Malienne de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (AMRTP), has also denied being involved in the suspected shutdown.

A spokesperson for the army, Modibo Naman Traoré, also told Jeune Afrique magazine that the national security outfit, Direction Générale de la Sécurité d’État (DGSE), have neither ordered nor recommended the shutdown.

Meanwhile, Bathily has been released from detention following the intervention of some influential religious leaders.

The MFWA is deeply concerned with the situation in Mali. We call on the authorities to establish the cause of the seeming shutdown and ensure that access to social media is restored for citizens to enjoy their freedom of expression and digital rights.

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AFEX is a continental network of some of the most prominent African freedom of expression and media rights advocacy organisations that are also members of IFEX, a global free expression network.

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