Danger
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465 1004 Fax: (212) 465 9568 Web: www.cpj.org
=============================
Contact: Alexis Arieff or Julia Crawford
e-mail: africaprogram@cpj.org Telephone: (212) 465-1004
=============================
Democratic Republic of Congo: Publisher enters 5th day of detention
New York, July 15, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled by the continued detention of Jean Marie Kanku, publisher of the private newspaper L’Alerte in the capital, Kinshasa.
Kanku has been charged with criminal defamation stemming from a July 8 article alleging that a DRC official had misused humanitarian reconstruction funds, according to the Kinshasa-based press freedom organization Journaliste en Danger (JED). The article cited a “Norwegian human rights group” for its information.
Kanku was arrested on July 11 and was being held today in a cell at the public prosecutor’s office in the Kinshasa neighborhood of Gombe, JED reported.
“Journalists in DRC are often arrested when they anger powerful figures, including members of government,” said Ann Cooper, CPJ’s executive director. “Jean Marie Kanku should be released immediately.”
CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.
==
Committee to Protect Journalists
africaprogram@cpj.org
phone: 1-212-465-1004
fax: 1-212-465-9568
http://www.cpj.org
[CPJ sent the following letter to Sierra Leone's President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, protesting the imprisonment of Paul Kamara, editor and publisher of For Di People.]
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465Â1004 Fax: (212) 465Â9568 Web: www.cpj.org E-Mail: info@cpj.org
==================
Contact: Julia Crawford
Phone: 1-212-465-1004
Email: africaprogram@cpj.org
==================
October 6, 2004
His Excellency Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
Office of the President
State House
15 Siaka Steven Street
Freetown
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the imprisonment of Paul Kamara, editor and publisher of For Di People newspaper. Kamara was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison stemming from October 2003 articles that criticized Your Excellency.
The court found Kamara guilty on two counts of “seditious libel†under the 1965 Public Order Act. The journalist was taken into custody and transferred to the Pademba Road Prison in the capital, Freetown. Kamara’s lawyer, J.O.D. Cole, told CPJ he plans to appeal.
The judge also recommended a six-month ban on For Di People. According to local sources, Sierra Leone’s media regulatory body, the Independent Media Commission, is expected to rule on the recommendation.
Under the act, newspaper vendors, printers, and publishers may also be held liable in a libel case. Brima Sesay, chief printer of the John Love Printing Press, which prints the paper, was found guilty of “printing seditious libel†and sentenced to six months jail or a fine of Le10,000 (about US$4), local sources said. Sesay paid the fine and was not imprisoned. Printing press owner Lovette Charles and manager Joseph Charles were acquitted.
The verdicts stemmed from articles that detailed a 1967 Commission of Inquiry into fraud allegations at the Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board at a time when Your Excellency helped oversee the board. For Di People also reprinted the commission’s report in installments.
Kamara has been targeted with criminal libel in the past. He served a six-month prison sentence after being convicted of criminal libel in November 2002 for defaming a local judge. On October 9, 2003, a court ordered him to pay Le61 million (US $24,900) in damages and costs following a civil suit in the same case. When he failed to pay, police seized the newspaper’s equipment and some of Kamara’s personal assets. For Di People was subsequently unable to publish for about a month, according to a source at the paper.
The prosecution of this new case is deeply troubling because it violates the fundamental principles of free _expression. In a democracy, political leaders such as yourself must be subject to public scrutiny and should enjoy no special protection from criticism.
Nor should journalists be jailed for what they write. That is particularly true in a case such as this in which issues of public interest have been raised. Criminal penalties for press offenses stifle free _expression and run directly counter to democratic principles.
Furthermore, the prospect of censoring For Di People, as recommended by the court, is deeply troubling. We urge Your Excellency to publicly oppose any attempt at censoring the press.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to defending the rights of our colleagues worldwide, CPJ urges Your Excellency to ensure Paul Kamara’s immediate and unconditional release, and to push for the removal of criminal penalties for press offenses.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
CC:
Ibrahim M. Kamara, Sierra Leonean Ambassador to the US
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Amnesty International
Article 19 (United Kingdom)
Artikel 19 (The Netherlands)
Canadian Journalists for Free _Expression
Freedom Forum
Freedom House
Human Rights Watch
Index on Censorship
International Center for Journalists
International Federation of Journalists
International PEN
International Press Institute
Michael G. Kozak, United States Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
The Newspaper Guild
The North American Broadcasters Association
Overseas Press Club
Reporters Sans Frontières
The Society of Professional Journalists
World Association of Newspapers
World Press Freedom Committee
==
Committee to Protect Journalists
phone: 1-212-465-1004
fax: 1-212-465-9568
http://www.cpj.org
ALERT FROM COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TO ALL AFRICAN,ASIAN AND SOUTHERN JOURNALISTS.
I- SOUTH CORPORATION JOURNALISM is very concerned by the illegally clearing of publishing of DALY NEWS of ZIMBABWE and the detaining of journalists in HARARE, Zimbabwe’s capital by a magistrate’s court. On Monday, September 20 the court acquitted four directors of DAILY NEWS. They were charged with publishing the newspaper illegally.It dismissed the owner of DAILY NEWS, the ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF ZIMBABWE-ANZ.
The magistrate’s court charged ANZ chief Executive SAMUEL NKOMO and Directors STUART MATTINSON, BRIAN MUTSAU and RACHEL KUPARA on October 2003 and were detained for two days. First of all, police closed the DAILY NEWS on September 2003 saying that the Newspaper wasn’t in accordabce with the ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT-AIPPA low which requires all journalists and media to be authorized by the Media and Information Commission. In February 2004, Daily News was feared to publish its issues.
URGENT ACTION
SOUTH CORPORATION JOURNALISM welcomes your urgent action by addressing e-mail or letters to the Zimbabwe’s authorities in order to acquit SAMUEL NKOMO, STUART MATTINSON and RACHEL KUPARA who had never been charged. Secondly, would you please call for the Zimbabwe government to repeal its repressive media low, to reopen the DAILY NEWS, and to respect the Freedom of Expression in Zmbabwe.
The same recall is addressed to the Zimbabwe Government by the COMMITTEE TO PROTEC JOURNALISTS whose contact address is:
JULIA CRAWFORD
E-mail africaprogram@cpj.org
info@cpj.org
2- Editor VINCENT KAHIYA, reporter AUGUSTINE MUKARO, and General Manager RAPHAEL KHUMALO of ZIMBABWE INDENDENT were arrested in Harare and taken to police headquarters on September 23,2004. They were forced to sign statements to never publish articles injuring the reputation, rights and freedoms of the State. They were charged , following the repressive media low, the horrific ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT-AIPPA. Their arrest deals with an article on why judgment has postponed in the treason of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, says COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS.
ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT wrote that the judgment in the TSVANGIRAI trial set for July 29, was postponed to give the two court assessors the opportunity to access the trial transcripts. In order to arrest the journalists of Zimbabwe Independent, Judge PADDINGTON GARWE, claims that the judgment was postponed for other reasons. It is set for October 15, 2004. Really, Judge PADDINGTON is preparing a guilty verdict without consulting the assessors.
3- Journalists jailed in ERITREA
IFEX MEMBERS URGE RELEASE OF JAILED JOURNALISTS
Three years after the government of Eritrea launched a crackdown on the
country's independent media, 17 journalists remain jailed without
charges.
Last week, nine IFEX members joined Amnesty International in calling
attention to the journalists' plight by urging President Isaias
Afewerki to
release them and lift a ban on private newspapers.
In a joint letter
(http://www.cpj.org/protests/04ltrs/Eritrea-NGO17sept04pl.html) sent to
the
president on 18 September 2004, the organisations said Eritrea was
violating
international human rights treaties by detaining the journalists. "As a
state party to the [African Charter on Human and People's Rights],
Eritrea
is obligated to uphold the rights and freedoms protected by these
agreements, including the right to freedom of expression," the
organisations
said.
The letter was signed by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ),
Human
Rights Watch, Media Institute of Southern Africa, West African
Journalists
Association, Freedom of Expression Institute, Journaliste en Danger,
Media
Institute, African Free Media Foundation, and Media Foundation for West
Africa.
The detained journalists, who have not been charged, are being held in
undisclosed locations, even though Eritrean law stipulates that an
individual cannot be detained without charges for more than 30 days,
says
CPJ. None of the detainees have appeared before a judge or been
provided
with legal counsel, and officials have refused to supply any
information
regarding the health, whereabouts or legal status of the detainees.
Eritrea is the only country in Africa without any privately owned media
outlets. It is also Africa's leading jailer of journalists, according
to
CPJ. Most of the imprisoned journalists were rounded up after the
government
ordered a clampdown on the press in September 2001. That came after
senior
politicians called for political reforms and independent media began
writing
editorials on human rights and democracy.
In a separate action, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans
frontières,
RSF) also called on President Afewerki to release the jailed
journalists.
The IFEX member is inviting free expression advocates to sign online
letters
demanding their release:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=3789
Visit these links:
- CPJ Report on Eritrea:
http://www.cpj.org/attacks03/africa03/eritrea.html
- IFEX Alerts on Eritrea: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/38/
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11422
- International Press Institute:
http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Africa/eritrea.htm
4.Journalist murdered in Dominican Republic
. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: JOURNALIST MURDERED
On 14 September 2004, unidentified gunmen shot and killed journalist
Juan
Emilio Andújar in Azua, Dominican Republic, shortly after he reported
on an
escalating crime wave that has seen as many as six journalists
threatened in
recent weeks.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the International
Federation of
Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans
frontières,
RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have condemned the
murder and called for an investigation.
Andújar and Juan Sanchez, a reporter for the Santo Domingo-based
dailies "El
Nacional" and "Hoy," were leaving the offices of Radio Azua on 14
September
when two gunmen on motorcycles ambushed them, report CPJ and IAPA.
Andújar
was shot in the head and died shortly after. Sanchez survived the
attack.
Jorge Luis Sención, a reporter for Enriquillo Radio, witnessed the
shooting
and went to Andújar's aid. Later that morning, Sención was ambushed by
the
same gunmen. He lost his right forearm to amputation and is recovering
in a
hospital under tight security.
A man thought to be one of the two assailants was killed by police in a
gun
battle yesterday. The other assailant is reportedly still at large.
Andújar, 49, was a respected journalist with 20 years of experience. He
was
a correspondent for the daily newspaper "Listín Diario," and hosted a
weekly
show, "Encuentro Mil 60" ("Encounter 1060"), on Radio Azua. On the day
of
his murder, Andújar had reported on local clashes earlier that morning
between gangs and police which left four gang members dead, note IAPA
and
CPJ.
Azua has seen as urge in crime in recent weeks, which has led to
clashes
between police and gangs in the town. Andújar, Sanchez and six other
journalists had received death threats because of their reports on the
clashes.
Visit these links:
- IAPA: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/61300/
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Dom16sept04na.html
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2699&Language=ES
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11410
5. PHILIPPINES: SUSPECTS IN REPORTERS' MURDERS ARRESTED
Hopes of breaking the impunity surrounding the murders of journalists
in the
Philippines have been raised in recent weeks with the arrest of
suspects in
the killing of three journalists, report the Center for Media Freedom
and
Responsibility (CMFR), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans
frontières,
RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Following two weeks of negotiations, former police officer Guillermo
Wapille
surrendered to Philippine National Police on 13 September 2004 in Camp
Crame
on the southern island of Mindanao. He had been charged in January 2003
with
the murder of Edgar Damalerio but had escaped from jail.
An award-winning journalist, Damalerio was shot and killed on 13 May
2002
while on his way home from a press conference. A radio host for
DXKP-Pagadian radio station and the managing editor of the weekly
newspaper
"Zamboanga Scribe," Damalerio was known for reporting on government
corruption. His case has come to symbolise the culture of impunity in
the
Philippines, a country where 48 journalists have been killed since
1986,
according to CMFR figures. No one has been brought to justice for any
of the
killings.
Meanwhile, suspects in the murders of Radyo Natin journalist Eliseo
"Ely"
Binoya and Arnel Manalo were arrested between 24 and 26 August 2004.
Both
journalists were killed earlier this year (see:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/59677/).
Visit these links:
- CMFR:
http://www.cmfr.com.ph/press attacks/2004/20040913damalerio.html
- Southeast Asian Press Alliance:
http://www.seapabkk.org/ alerts/2004/06/20040601.htm
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Phil13sept04na.html
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11405
--------------------------------------------------------
TAKE ACTION!
7. RSF CALLS FOR RELEASE OF ABDUCTED JOURNALISTS
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) is inviting
free
expression advocates to sign a petition calling for the release of
French
journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, and their Syrian
guide,
Mohammed Al-Joundi. The three men were taken hostage by Iraqi militants
on
20 August 2004 while reporting in Najaf.
More details about their case are available here:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=11423
To sign the petition, send an email to RSF containing your name and
address
to: communication3@rsf.org
ongadze:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3664494.stm
7. INTERNATIONAL: JOINT INITIATIVE PROMOTES JOURNALISTS' SAFETY
International press freedom groups and journalists' associations,
including
six IFEX members, have agreed to examine the need for an international
emblem to protect journalists in combat zones and for coordinated
strategies
to improve protection for media staff.
At a meeting organised by the Press Emblem Campaign in Geneva,
Switzerland,
last week, the organisations agreed to commission experts to look at
the
possibility of creating an international emblem similar to the Red
Cross
insignia used by humanitarian aid workers. The International News
Safety
Institute will prepare a report on steps needed to improve journalists'
safety.
The International Federation of Journalists, one of the participants,
says
journalists in war zones should be given as much legal protection as
humanitarian aid workers. "Journalists and media staff are sometimes
simply
forgotten when it comes to the international community's concern for
civilians caught in conflict," the IFEX member says.
Other IFEX members who attended the meeting were the International
Press
Institute, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters
sans
frontières, RSF), the World Association of Newspapers and the World
Press
Freedom Committee.
A follow-up meeting in early 2005 will be hosted by the United Arab
Emirates
Syndicate of Journalists.
For more information, visit:
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2702&Language=EN
- Geneva Declaration on Kidnapping and Killing of Journalists in Iraq:
http://www.ifj.org/pdfs/genevakidkilliraq210904.pdf
- International News Safety Institute: http://www.newssafety.com/
- RSF Charter for Safety of Journalists:
http://www.damocles.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=404
- Amnesty International: http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGPOL304192004
URGENT
ALERTE – LIBERTE DE LA PRESSE
RD CONGO/ KINSHASA
Un journaliste longuement entendu par un magistrat sur une émission diffusée autour d’un projet de loi sur la nationalité
Kinshasa, le 20 août 2004
SOURCE : Journaliste en danger (JED), Kinshasa
Simplice Kalunga wa Kalunga, directeur et présentateur de l’émission « Nouvelle Donne » diffusée sur la chaîne privée de télévision CMB (Channel Media Broadcasting), émettant de Kinshasa, à été interpellé et longuement entendu sur procès-verbal, le jeudi 19 août 2004 par un magistrat du parquet général de la Gombe.
L’interrogatoire du journaliste a tourné autour d’une émission diffusée le 09 Août dernier et au cour de laquelle, recevant le Pasteur Théodore Ngoy, avocat et homme d’église bien connu sur la place de Kinshasa, ils avaient passé en revue, et relevé les lacunes contenues dans le projet de loi sur la nationalité élaboré par le ministère de la Justice et Garde des Sceaux, actuellement en examen au parlement.
Répondant à une question sur l’attitude du ministre de la justice qui aurait déclaré avoir déposé ce projet de loi bien malgré lui, le Pasteur Ngoy aurait donné l’exemple des hommes politiques étrangers qui n’hésitent pas de démissionner de leur fonction lorsqu’ils sont contraints d’agir contre leur gré.
Kalunga a dit à JED avoir reçu, avant son audition par le magistrat, plusieurs appels anonymes annonçant son arrestation, et que dans une conversation téléphonique le ministre de la Justice et Garde des Sceaux Kisimba Ngoy, ce dernier aurait fait exploser sa colère, accusant le journaliste de complicité avec le pasteur pour le salir.
Dans l’intervalle, le Pasteur Ngoy a été brutalement arrêté le 14 août 2004 dans une rue de Kinshasa et incarcéré depuis, au Centre Pénitentiaire et de Rééducation de Kinshasa (CPRK, ex prison centrale de Makala) où il croupit jusqu’à ce jour. Le magistrat instructeur de son dossier a déclaré à JED que Théodore Ngoy était poursuivi pour « offense aux autorités de la transition et outrages à la magistrature ». Ce que ne reconnaît ni le journaliste, ni son invité dans l’émission. La cassette de l’émission incriminée a été réquisitionnée par le Parquet de Grande Instance de la GOMBE
Organisation indépendante et non partisane de défense et de promotion de la liberté de la presse basée en RDC
Réseau d'alerte de l'OMAC (Organisation des médias d'Afrique centrale)
374, avenue col. Mondjiba. Complexe Utexafrica. Galerie Saint Pierre
Kinshasa/Ngaliema. B.P.: 633 Kinshasa I
Tél.: 243 99 29 323 / 99 96 353
E-mail: info@jed-congo.org. Web : www.jed-afrique.org
République démocratique du Congo
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465-1004
Fax: (212) 465-9568 Web: www.cpj.org E-Mail: media@cpj.org
==================
Contact: Julia Crawford
E-mail: africaprogram@cpj.org
Telephone: (212) 465-1004
==================
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SOMALILAND: Journalist arrested and detained
New York, September 2, 2004-Police arrested the editor-in-chief of the
independent Somali-language daily Jamhuuriya and its weekly
English-language
edition, The Republican, in the self-declared republic of Somaliland
this
week. Hassan Said Yusuf was still in police custody today, and local
journalists have not been allowed to visit him, according to local
sources.
Yusuf was arrested August 31 at his office in Somaliland's capital,
Hargeisa, by police officers armed with a warrant, according to local
press
freedom organizations. His arrest stemmed from a news article published
in
Jamhuuriya on August 30 about the Somaliland government's stance on
peace
talks in Kenya between neighboring Somalia's Transitional National
Government and warring Somali factions. Somaliland has refused
invitations
to participate in the talks.
The article suggested that Somaliland's main opposition party, Kulmiye,
took
a harder stance against participating in the peace talks than
Somaliland's
government, according to local sources.
It is unclear whether Yusuf has been formally charged. His arrest has
been
condemned by local press freedom organizations, including the Somali
Journalists Network (SOJON) and the Press Freedom Violation Monitors.
Yusuf and other journalists working for Jamhuuriya have been targeted
by
Somaliland authorities before. In October 2003, police detained Yusuf
for
nine hours in Hargeisa, and accused him of publishing information that
was
"not good for the government." In February 2004, police arrested two
reporters working for Jamhuuriya at the Somaliland Supreme Court while
they
were covering the trial of a prominent traditional elder accused of
destabilizing Somaliland. The two journalists were held for four hours
before being released without charge, according to local journalists'
organizations.
"Arresting a journalist over a news story is unacceptable," said Ann
Cooper,
executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "We call on
Somaliland authorities to ensure Hassan Said Yusuf's immediate,
unconditional release, and to ensure that journalists in Somaliland are
free
to report on matters of public concern without fear of government
reprisal."
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works
to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit
www.cpj.org.
==
Alexis Arieff
Committee to Protect Journalists
aarieff@cpj.org
phone: 1-212-300-9004
fax: 1-212-465-9568
http://www.cpj.org
