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MFWA Rolls Out Projects in Six Countries in West Africa

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Rolls Out Projects in Six Countries in West Africa

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has commenced two major projects aimed at strengthening the media’s role in promoting transparency and accountability in governance, and improving press freedom in West Africa. The projects are being implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Niger and Senegal

The MFWA’s national partner organisations in four target countries, Benin, The Gambia, Niger and Senegal, will be supported under the project, “Promoting Press Freedom in West Africa’ to strengthen their institutional capacity to advocate on freedom of expression issues in their respective countries.

In Burkina Faso, Ghana and Senegal, the MFWA will partner influential media organisations and key national-level anti-corruption institutions to improve public participation in governance under the project: “Enhancing Public Participation and Demand for Accountability in Governance through effective Media and Governance Dialogue Platforms. This project aims at strengthening the capacity of governance and anti-corruption institutions to engage more effectively with the media on governance and accountability issues. Under the project, media organisations will also receive training to enhance their capacity in investigating and reporting on transparency and accountability issues.

“These projects will build the capacity of the media to do advocacy on press freedom, report better on governance and accountability issues; and also empower them to become efficient platforms for citizens-authorities engagement,” said Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA.

Some of the activities under the projects are stakeholder engagements, institutional and other capacity building opportunities, support for critical and investigative reporting on corruption and accountability issues; and creation of platforms for dedicated media programmes on the issues of Transparency and Accountability.

The projects are being implemented with funding support from the Programme on Independent Journalism of the Open Society Foundations, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

MFWA Condemns Detention of Critic of President Barrow

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Condemns Detention of Critic of President Barrow

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has learnt with shock the arrest and detention of Dr Ismaila Ceesay, a political science lecturer of the University of The Gambia.

On January 31, 2018, the Gambia Police Force “invited” Dr Ceesay for questioning. However, upon arrival at the Police headquarters, he was arrested, detained and charged with “incitement to violence.”

Dr. Ceesay’s arrest and detention is as a result of two publications by The Voice Newspaper in which he criticised President Adama Barrow government’s handling of security issues in the country. The first publication on January 23, 2018 quoted as Dr. Ceesay as saying President Barrow “lacked focus.”

Following the publication of January 23, article, Director of Press at the Presidency, Amie Bojang-Sissoho, is said to have called the editor of The Voice newspaper complaining about the headline of the story and also the content. She also asked the Gambia Press Union to regulate content of its members.

However the January 31 article drew a hasher reaction when Dr. Ceesay was invited by Police to be interrogated on his claim that, “ECOMIG (ECOWAS security forces), will not prevent long-term security risks if the President does not win the trust of the army.” Upon arrival, Dr. Ceesay was arrested, detained and charged.

The MFWA condemns the detention of Dr. Ismaila Ceesay and is surprised that such an incident has happened under the Barrow administration which rode to power on the promise of ensuring the protection of freedom of expression and human rights in The Gambia. We wish to remind President Adama Barrow of the immense contribution of the media and activists such as Dr. Ceesay in ensuring the end of 22 years of dictatorship in the country. We urge President Barrow to ensure that freedom of expression is protected, promoted and fulfilled in The Gambia.

We call on the Gambia Police Force to release Dr Ceesay unconditionally and drop all charges.

UPDATE: Dr Ceesay has been released and charges dropped.

Hosting WPFD Without RTI Law Will Be Embarrassing For Ghana– MFWA

Vivian Affoah
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Hosting WPFD Without RTI Law Will Be Embarrassing For Ghana– MFWA

On May 2 and 3 2018, Ghana will host the global community for the celebration of this year’s World Press Freedom Day (WPFD). It will be the first time Ghana is serving as the host country for the global event and the only country in West Africa after Senegal to host this important event.

The WPFD is commemorated annually around the world under the stewardship of UNESCO and its global partners including governments. The day is observed to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to advance the cause of journalism.

One of the fundamental requirements for the advancement of journalism, which is also recognised as a fundamental human right, is the right to access information. Indeed, peoples’ right to information guaranteed by law and respected in practice constitutes a very foundational pre-requisite for strengthening democracy and ensuring good governance.

The importance of Right to Information (RTI) as a fundamental right and an enabler of democracy is reflected in its codification in several international and continental human rights mechanisms and frameworks.

At the international level, RTI is guaranteed in Article 19 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

In Africa, RTI is guaranteed in the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights; African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption; African Union Youth Charter; among others.

Over the years, therefore, a number of African countries have adopted RTI Laws as part of the processes for deepening democratic governance. Indeed, in the last six years alone, the number of African countries that have adopted RTI Laws has increased from five to 21 including more than half of West African countries.

Surprisingly and quite embarrassingly, Ghana, which is touted as a beacon of democracy in Africa has failed to have an RTI Law in place despite over a decade of civil society advocacy for the passage of such a fundamental law.

Different governments under the fourth republic had made promises to enact the law but failed. The current NPP administration appears to be towing the same line of promising to pass the law and failing to do so.

While in opposition, the NPP promised in its 2016 Election manifesto (chapter 12, page 137) that it will “ensure the passage of the right to information bill if the present parliament delays in doing so.” As if to redeem their manifesto promise, on assuming office on January 7, 2017, senior government officials including the Vice President and Ministers of State have given different timelines in 2017 for the passage of the RTI Bill all of which have passed unfulfilled.

The upcoming WPFD presents a major opportunity for the government of Ghana to showcase Ghana’s democratic ideals to the world. It will therefore be extremely embarrassing for Ghana not to have in place an RTI Law which is one of the cardinal pieces of legislation that advances democracy, human rights, transparent and accountable governance.

While serving as Attorney General in the previous NPP regime, the role HE President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo played in the repeal of the criminal libel law in 2001 is widely recognized. It will therefore be another significant moment for the President to sign into law, Ghana’s RTI Bill before the global gathering in Ghana.

Indeed it will be gratifying to hear the President say before a global audience that he has signed Ghana’s long standing RTI Bill into law.

The MFWA, therefore, makes a passionate appeal to His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the leadership of Parliament to take all appropriate steps to ensure the passage of Ghana’s RTI Bill and having it signed into Law before the country hosts world to mark WPFD.

MFWA Petitions Ghana’s Ruling Political Party to Redress Attack on Journalists By Its Security Guards

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Petitions Ghana’s Ruling Political Party to Redress Attack on Journalists By Its Security Guards

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has petitioned the National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, over the brutal assault by the party’s security officers on journalists which occurred at the party’s National Headquarters in Accra, Ghana.

On December 21, 2017, four journalists who were covering a protest at the premises of the NPP headquarters were brutalized by heavily-built security officials.

Despite several appeals by the media and press freedoms organisations to the leadership of the NPP, the party has failed to take any action 33 days after the incident. Meanwhile, the party through its General Secretary, John Boadu, condemned a recent attack on a member of the party, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, whereas no single word has been said about the attack on the journalists which happened much earlier.

The petition therefore called on the NPP National Chairman to ensure that the party formally condemns the incident, apologises to the victims and punishes the perpetrators.

The petition, which was delivered at the party headquarters on January 23, 2017, was also copied to the Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu, with a call on him to ensure that the assailants are arrested to face the law, in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s directive to the Police during the recent Presidential Media Encounter to deal firmly with the menace of vigilantism in the country.

Kindly read the petition below.

 

The National Chairman

New Patriotic Party

National Headquarters

Accra

 

Dear Sir,

Petition against Physical Assault on Journalists by Party Security Officers

On December 21, 2017, four journalists were physically attacked by some security officers manning your party’s Headquarters in Accra.

The four journalists from TV3, Citi FM and Ghanaweb.com were brutalised by the security guards for covering a protest at the premises of your party headquarters by some supporters of your party from the Ellembelle Constituency of the Western Region.

While filming the scene, TV3 cameraman, Godfred Tanam was slapped by the rampaging guards. Prince Afum, a TV3 reporter, was also attacked when he went to the aid of his colleague, Tanam. Ghanaweb.com reporter, Ebenezer Ackah was kicked on the ground after being slapped and violently pushed down. A reporter from Citi FM, Marie-Franz Fordjoe, who was filming the scene with her mobile phone, was pulled away by her braids and slapped in the face by the guards.

The attack was widely reported by the media and condemned by various individuals and organisations including MFWA and the GJA who called on the leadership of your party to take action against the perpetrators.

We are dismayed at the fact that despite these calls, your outfit has still not reacted to the wanton assault on the four journalists, 32 days after the incident. We consider this attitude to be unbecoming of the NPP which is one of the biggest political parties in Ghana and the ruling party.

It is important to note that the General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, has recently condemned the attack on a member of the party, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, whereas no single word has been said about the attack on the journalists which happened much earlier.

We are therefore petitioning you directly as the party’s leader to use your good offices to ensure that the party formally condemns the incident, renders apologies to the victims and punishes the perpetrators.

We wish to take the opportunity to urge you and the NPP leadership as a whole to take steps to stump out the growing culture of impunity among the party’s supporters since its return to power in January 2017.

In his recent encounter with the media, the President said that vigilantism has no party colours and asked the Police to deal with the menace. We have put the Inspector General of Police in copy of this petition, believing that his outfit will act, without prejudice to whatever action your leadership will take, to ensure that the assailants of the journalists are arrested to face the law.

We are hopeful that you would respond favourably to this petition.

Yours sincerely,

Sulemana Braimah

(Executive Director)

CC:

The Inspector General of Police,

General Headquarters,

Accra

The GBC Problems: NMC Has Been a Failure

Vivian Affoah
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The GBC Problems: NMC Has Been a Failure

In the last couple of months, the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has been in the news for the wrong reasons.

It started with controversies surrounding the enforcement of the law requiring the payment of TV licence fees, followed by a dramatic decision by the board, and the Director General issuing a statement countering the decision of the board. These developments only add to a litany of long-standing problems facing the national broadcaster which have made it almost pale into irrelevance when it comes to the broadcast industry in Ghana.

The GBC remains a key and strategic asset for the overall development of the country. It is therefore unfortunate that, the National Media Commission (NMC), the institution that is constitutionally mandated to ensure the viability, sustainability, relevance and impact of the state broadcaster has woefully failed to discharge this crucial mandate over the years leading to the current sad state of GBC.

As required by the 1992 Constitution, the NMC appoints the Director General of GBC as well as its governing board. By virtue of these appointments and other functions of the Commission as mandated by the Constitution, the NMC can be said to have the ultimate responsibility and oversight over the affairs of GBC and other state-owned media. But since the TV licence and all the controversies surrounding it started, the NMC has played a surprisingly dormant role.

Indeed, one would have expected that given the mandate of the NMC, it would have been the one at the forefront of discussions on the direction and way-forward for the implementation of the TV licence fee regime. This is particularly so given that the purpose was to help strengthen the viability of the state broadcaster. However, the NMC’s silence on matters related to the implementation of the TV licence has not only been surprising but also puzzling.

The controversies at the GBC got to the climax when the Board ordered the Director General to proceed on leave, which is usually an euphemistic way of announcing dismissals of public officials. Not surprisingly, the Director General refused to comply with the directive of the Board.

It is worth noting that both the Board and the Director were appointed by the NMC and yet while all these developments have been unfolding, one is yet to hear from the NMC despite numerous calls on the Commission to act in order to save the situation and salvage the sinking national broadcaster. Indeed nearly all the state media institutions under the mandate and direction of the NMC are on the same path of declining fortunes.

Given the current situation, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) makes the following recommendations:

  • The NMC should, as a matter of urgency, make a public announcement of the steps being taken to resolve the current impasse at the GBC in order to assuage public fears about the eventual collapse of the national broadcaster.
  • The NMC, must as a matter of urgency, let the public know whether the board of GBC can vary the terms of appointment of the Director General.
  • We request that the NMC comes out with a comprehensive and holistic plan for transforming GBC into a truly viable and sustainable public service broadcaster.
  • The MFWA also calls for a broader stakeholder engagements to review the operations of the NMC over the years and come up with recommendations on how to strengthen the Commission and its work.

Judge Delivers Controversial Judgment in Case of Murdered Journalist

Vivian Affoah
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Judge Delivers Controversial Judgment in Case of Murdered Journalist

A High court judge in Guinea has delivered a controversial judgement in the case of murdered journalist, El Hadj Mohamed Diallo.

 Diallo, a reporter for news website Guinee 7, was shot dead on February 5, 2016 while covering clashes by rival factions of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UDFG) party in the capital, Conakry.

Following Diallo’s death, 18 persons were arrested and charged to court. Following investigations, 13 were acquitted leaving five suspects. After almost two years, the court finally delivered its verdict on January 9, 2018. The judge, Mangadouba Sow, sentenced Souleymane Bah, a former Director of Communication of the UFDG, to life imprisonment for murder and ordered that an arrest warrant be issued against him as he is out of the country for medical reasons.

Two other persons, Alphadio and Mamadou Saidou Barry who were also not present at the court were sentenced in absentia to two years in imprisonment and a fined two million Guineans Francs (about 222 US Dollars) each for assault and battery.

Two other accused persons who were present in court, Amadou Sow and Algassimou Keita were acquitted and discharged.

The MFWA’s correspondent in Guinea reports that the judgment has been received with widespread skepticism. The correspondent adds that the sentencing of Souleyman Bah was rather unexpected because he was only charged in the middle of the two-year trial and after he had left the country for ‘medical reasons.’

“Souleyman Bah did not appear in court even once and none of the accused mentioned him at any point during the trial. His conviction, therefore, took everyone by surprise. The impression one gets is that the authorities failed to find the killers and decided to make ‘scapegoats’ of innocent persons,” the correspondent said.

The MFWA welcome the efforts the Guinean authorities have made to prosecute the killers of El Hadj Mohamed Diallo, However, like many journalists and press freedom groups in Guinea, we are concerned about the judgement. It is curious, for instance, that the court waited to deliver judgment before issuing an arrest warrant against Souleyman Bah who did not attend any court proceedings, although it (the court) knew that he was important to the case.

Again, according to the account of the incident, the only form of violence Diallo suffered that day was the gunshot that killed him instantly. There was no report of him being battered or assaulted. Therefore, the soft sentences handed to two suspects for assault and battery rather than for murder raises a lot of concern. We applaud the Guinean authorities for attempting to fight impunity. However, the judgment raises a lot of concerns and we hope that the justice system is sufficiently robust to resolve satisfactorily all the outstanding and emerging questions regarding the trial.

Presidential Encounter with the Media: MFWA’s Perspectives

Vivian Affoah
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Presidential Encounter with the Media: MFWA’s Perspectives

Today (January 17, 2018), the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, hosted journalists from various media organisations in Ghana to respond to their questions on the performance of his government in the first year and the general state of affairs in the country.

Commonly referred to as “Presidential Media Encounter,” the event is the second since the President assumed office on January 7, 2017. The first media encounter was held in July 2017.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) sees the exercise as an important initiative that helps to deepen the culture of democratic governance in Ghana. The event serves as a platform that allows the President to account to the people on his stewardship. We therefore commend the President and the government for following the footsteps of predecessor governments as far as the regular media encounters are concerned.

In order to help guide post-event reflections on the usefulness of the event and to provide useful insights for future events, the MFWA presents its perspectives of today’s media encounter. The analysis assesses the overall arrangement and format of the event, quality of the questions that were asked, the quality of the President’s responses to the questions and makes some recommendations for future encounters.

Thus, this document is presented with the following sections: format of the event; quality of questions asked; critical missing pieces, the President’s performance and recommendations.

Format of the Event

The event was generally well organised. The President was well composed, articulate and created an atmosphere of conviviality throughout the event. The President’s introductory address was, however, too long and tended to focus nearly exclusively on the achievements of the government with almost no focus on failures, missed targets and challenges.

The procedure on selecting those to ask questions could have been better coordinated right from the beginning. For example, an expectation was created that there would be an opportunity for journalists from each of the regions to ask a question but it did not turn out so. However, the effort to ensure gender balance in the filing of questions is commendable.

Quality of Questions Asked

A total of 20 journalists asked questions on various issues and sectors. These questions were analysed and this report presents the MFWA’s perspectives on some of the best and worst questions. Analyses of the quality of questions were based on basic principles of good questioning such as: relevance of the question; whether a question was a leading question; whether the question had good background and contextualisation; the clarity of the question and whether a question made references to data, facts and illustration. Using these principles, some questions were found to be really good while others were judged to be poor.

The following three questions were found to be the best of the day:

  1. “I take it that given the size of the economy you couldn’t have addressed all issues in your opening statement and so I take it that the issues you raised are on your priority list. However, there is one issue that I find not addressed in your address, which I think without it can bring every plan of yours to nought. It’s the issue of security. In 2014, a young man known as Alema was alleged to have joined ISIS. In fact, his family confirmed that story. In 2016, security experts revealed on GBC 24; in fact they showed us evidence of how some members of ISIS were getting in touch with some young Ghanaians. Just a couple of days ago, the Ghanaian police arrested some persons with seven grenades. You didn’t address that. Mr President, how safe are Ghanaians under your watch?” – Abdul Hayi-Moomen – GBC

The question was relevant and purposeful. The questioner provided useful background and context. It wasn’t framed in a close-ended way and asked with clarity.

  1. “I would like to find out how you could have come to the conclusion that the Ministry of Trade has been cleared of the extortion allegations that were made – frivolous or otherwise – when indeed the parliamentary committee has just began its work. What is the basis of your conviction that the Ministry has been cleared of the allegations?” – Kwesi Pratt – The Insight Newspaper

This was a very useful follow-up after the President had sought to dismiss the usefulness of the on-going bipartisan parliamentary enquiry on the issue of “cash for seats.” The question was clear and precise.

  1. “I remember the vice President said and has said so many times that we are building a modern formal economy premised on National ID, Digital Address and mobile payment interoperability; and in February 2017 in your State of Nation address, you said and I quote the process for a comprehensive National ID System and the property titling system will be completed this year. When we met here in July 2017, you repeated the National Identification scheme will be working by the end of the year as promised and the digital address system will be functioning; end of quote. So two weeks into January, what is the state of the National ID and the mobile payment interoperability system?” – Bernard Avle, Citi FM

The questioner provided good background and context including quotes. It was a question that probed the delivery of the government on key promises and its failure to meet publicly announced deadlines.

 

The following were found to be the worst questions asked:

  1. “We are in the 25th year of the 4th republic and 2012/2013, you led the NPP to the Supreme Court, the petition, I will like to find out whether the live coverage, the outcome and the immediate consensus or acceptance of the ruling is a major hallmark of the 25th anniversary of the 4th republic” – Gordon Asare Bediako, The New Crusading Guide.

By far, this was the worst question of the day. It lacked relevance and context.

  1. “My question is, something unprecedented happened in Ghana here, that is during your first year, that is the coming in of visitors mostly Presidents. Classical example was the Emir of Qatar, President Macron and all those people coming in. In your view Mr. President, what do you think accounted for their interest in coming into Ghana, especially in your first year” – Naana Ntiri, Peace FM

While there may have been a number of foreign dignitaries coming in at the same time it cannot be described as an unprecedented phenomenon. It appears to be a question that sought to provide an opportunity for the President to tout the achievement of his administration.

  1. “Mr President, there is this school of thought that believe that incumbency is advantaged, disadvantaged sorry its disadvantaged and I want to have your view on that” – Prince Godfred Obeng, Ark FM

The question was not clear. It lacked purpose and relevance as no context was provided.

  1. “Mr. President, thank you for the opportunity and I want to commend the hard work that you have put in galamsey fight because it has really yielded results. Mr. President, my question and I want to refer to the question on Ghana beyond aid. Because we don’t know or we don’t have a vision of where Ghana wants to be in the long term, when policies are introduced by political parties a lot of questions are raised about them, all the sectors have their own plans but we don’t have a vision as to where they rise to. The US President has made very derogatory comments about us, people were up in arms but I must say it’s rather a painful truth because of the way we do our things. Mr. President the question I want to ask is when are we having a national plan?” – Annie Ampofo, Group Nduom Media.

The background to the question lacked focus and what ultimately was the question was factually incorrect because Ghana has a development plan as was alluded to by the President in his response.

Other Observations:

The question on the menace of vigilante groups asked by Eyram Bashan of EIB Network was a question on a relevant issue. The value of the question was however undermined by the questioner’s reference to the weak capacity of the security agencies to deal with the issue. The President in his response then makes reference to the weak capacity as cited by the journalists as part of the challenges in dealing with the menace.

Kojo Yankson asked a question about the justification for the appointment of 110 Ministers and whether or not it was time for the President to reduce the number. Given that it was one of the issues that the President had already addressed in his introductory remarks, that question had become redundant.

Other Critical Issues that were missed

  • Free SHS blueprint and the sustainability of the initiative
  • The delay in the passage of the RTI despite promises and deadlines
  • Health – increasing prevalence of HIV infections; recent health challenges in second cycle institutions; state of National Health Insurance
  • The Digitisation of institutions and services versus challenges of cyber security

The President’s Performance

 Overall, the President was composed and demonstrated knowledge on many of the issues around which questions were raised. In cases where the President did not have an idea or could not respond to a question, he demonstrated honesty. For example, he made it clear that the 2014 World Cup Committee White Paper was not on his radar. He also admitted the inability of his administration to meet the deadlines on the issuance of the National ID and the rollout of the mobile interoperability system. In some instances, he relied on his sector ministers to deal with specific questions relating to specific sectors, which we deem a good strategy.

The low points on the President’s performance were on his responses to the question on vigilantism. For example, the President’s reference to how overwhelmed the security agencies are in dealing with the problem of vigilante groups cannot be justified. Indeed, the problem is one of lack of political will and not limited capacity on the part of the security agencies to deal with the problem.

The worst moment in the president’s responses was his attempt to discount or dismiss the on-going bi-partisan investigations into what has become known as the “cash for seat” saga. Indeed, the President’s comment devalues the on-going work of the bi-partisan committee. This is especially so because the President in his introductory remarks took pride in the fact that under the first year of his administration, a number of bi-partisan investigative committees have been set up to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

Recommendations for Future Encounters

  • Journalists should prepare adequately and have questions that have been well researched with proper background and context.
  • Journalists should endeavour to ask follow-up questions when earlier questions by others have not been answered satisfactorily.
  • More time should be allocated for questions in future encounters.

 

MFWA Hails Appointment of Martin Amidu, Urges Government to Pass RTI

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Hails Appointment of Martin Amidu, Urges Government to Pass RTI

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes President Nana Akufo-Addo’s nomination of Mr Martin Alamisi Amidu, as the Special Prosecutor of Ghana. We consider the appointment as a big step forward in the fight against corruption and wish to commend the President for choosing the right man for the job. Mr Amidu’s nomination is ample demonstration of the President’s true commitment to the fight against corruption.

We also congratulate Mr Amidu on his nomination and wish him success in both the processes leading to his confirmation and the subsequent discharge of his duties. We have no doubt about Mr Amidu’s suitability for the high office of Special Prosecutor. His personal integrity and high sense of patriotism are widely acknowledged; his passionate and unrelenting personal crusade against corruption over the years sets him apart as a credible and reliable person to lead the fight against corruption.

The MFWA is confident that Mr Amidu will bring his immense experience in the legal and political field as well as his compelling personal character to bear on his new office.

While the government proceeds with efforts to fully establish the Office of the Special Prosecutor, we urge the media to brace itself to offer its support to the process, as it has a crucial role to play in the fight against corruption.

To this end, the MFWA wishes to encourage journalists to fully acquaint themselves with the legal and operational framework of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and to develop capacity in anti-corruption reporting so as to support the work of the Office.

Finally, we wish to remind the government that access to information is an indispensable requirement for a successful fight against corruption. We therefore urge the President to use his good offices to push for the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) bill to give citizens the legal basis to demand accountability and transparency from duty bearers and to enhance the work of the Special Prosecutor.

Togolese Government Bans Opposition Demonstrations in Three Cities Over ‘Security Concerns’

Vivian Affoah
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Togolese Government Bans Opposition Demonstrations in Three Cities Over ‘Security Concerns’

In a continuing show of force against opposition demonstrators and citizens, authorities in Togo have announced a ban on political rallies in three cities in the north of the country – Sokodé, Bafilo and Mango.

In the announcement on January 8, 2018, authorities said the ban was necessary to prevent demonstrators from using weapons allegedly seized from security forces during previous demonstrations.

“The precarious security situation in Sokodé, Bafilo and Mango relates to the circulation of weapons stolen from the police station of the city of Sokode and seized from the hands of soldiers who were molested by the demonstrators on 19 August 2017. It therefore behooves on us to prohibit demonstrations in these localities,” said Payadowa Boukpessi, Minister of the Interior in a letter addressed to the leaders of the opposition coalition.

Togo has been mired in an unprecedented political crisis since August 2017 when a coalition of opposition parties began a series of mass demonstrations to demand political reforms. Among the opposition demands are the reintroduction of presidential term limits, the right to vote for Togolese living abroad and an end to the Gnassingbé dynasty which has ruled the country for more than five decades.

The first demonstrations were violently suppressed by security forces, especially in the northern opposition bastion of Sokodé where two people were killed in August 2017. Five other demonstrations which followed were also quelled with physical attacks, some of them fatal as well as arrests and detentions.

Meanwhile on January 7, armed soldiers and militia physically assaulted members of the Pan-African National Party (PNP) who were in a meeting in the city of Kara, considered to be the stronghold of the ruling party Union pour la republique (Unir).

According to Ricardo Agouzou, a member of the PNP who was present at the meeting when the incident happened, the armed soldiers numbering about 16 surrounded them and beat them. “They surrounded us and their intention was to end our lives. In fact, they maltreated us and seriously battered us,” he said.

The MFWA condemns the continued and sustained crackdown on freedom of expression and assembly in Togo. We urge the Togolese government to investigate cases of violent demonstrations and attacks on opposition figures by security agents and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book. We also appeal to the government to initiate dialogue with the opposition and civil society rather than seek to use the coercive power of the state to frustrate the legitimate enjoyment of expression and assembly rights of the Togolese people.

MFWA Condemns Assault on Journalists, Calls for Prompt Retribution for Culprits

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MFWA Condemns Assault on Journalists, Calls for Prompt Retribution for Culprits

The Media Foundation for West Africa MFWA has learnt with dismay the attack on four journalists and a driver by vigilantes of the New Patriotic Party at the party’s Headquarters in Accra on December 21, 2017, and wishes to call on the party’s leadership to ensure swift punishment for the perpetrators.

We are informed that journalists from the news website Ghanaweb.com as well as Citi FM and TV3 were covering a demonstration by aggrieved supporters of the NPP from the Ellembelle Constituency of the Western Region of Ghana when they were physically assaulted by some heavily-built men manning the party headquarters.

While filming the scene, TV3 cameraman, Godfred Tanam was attacked by the rampaging security guards. Reporter Prince Afum was also attacked, together with the driver of the TV3 crew, Emmanuel Gaddriy, when he (Afum) protested against the manhandling of Tanam. The keys to the trio’s official car were also seized.

The thugs also beat up the Ghanaweb.com cameraman as he was filming the NPP supporters’ protest. He was slapped, violently pushed onto the ground and kicked. The Managing Editor of Ghanaweb.com, Edward-Smith Anamale later told the MFWA that his cameraman had to receive hospital treatment for bodily pains, dizziness and trauma.

A reporter from Citi FM was also attacked by a female party loyalist and the heavily built party vigilantes who broke her spectacles and seized her phones together with her bag. The seized items were however returned to her moments later.

The MFWA is shocked at this wanton assault on journalists carrying out their legitimate duties. The incident is particularly alarming because the Deputy National Secretary of the NPP, Sam Payne, reportedly shrugged off the complaints of other journalists when he later arrived at the party headquarters.

We wish to take the opportunity to condemn the growing acts of lawlessness by NPP vigilante groups since the party regained power in January 2017 as well as the culture of vigilantism   that is becoming a norm among Ghana’s political parties.

We call on the leadership of the NPP to punish the perpetrators of the assault on the journalists to demonstrate the party’s intolerance and abhorrence of such violent conduct.

Intervene to End Freedom of Expression Violations – MFWA Urges Mauritanian President

Vivian Affoah
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Intervene to End Freedom of Expression Violations – MFWA Urges Mauritanian President

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its Partner Organisation in Mauritania, Regroupement de la Presse Mauritanienne (RPM) have jointly petitioned Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz to take steps to end a recent wave of press freedom and other human rights violations in Mauritania.

In the petition dated December 10, 2017 to coincide with the International Human Rights Day, the MFWA and RPM expressed serious concern about the persecution of four senior journalists from various independent and critical media organisations over the past three months.

The affected journalists were summoned and interrogated by the Economic Crimes Department of the Mauritanian Police on August 25, 2017. The authorities questioned them about the motives of their articles that criticised the government. The police also asked about their media organisations’ sources of funding. The passports of the journalists have also been seized and they have been forbidden from leaving the capital Nouakchott since August. They also have since their interrogation been reporting every Monday to the Directorate General of National Security.

The petition said these actions reflect a resolute will to stifle critical journalism in the country and cited a directive issued by the Mauritanian Prime Minister in February 2016 prohibiting all state institutions and public enterprises from placing advertisement or taking subscriptions in private newspapers.

“This measure was clearly intended to economically suffocate the private media out of operation,” the petition said.

The MFWA and RPM also expressed concern about the continued detention of a Mauritanian citizen and blogger, Cheikh Mohammed Ould M’kheitir whose 2014 death sentence was recently overturned on appeal. The petitioners expressed alarm at the amendment of Mauritania’s penal code regarding blasphemy immediately after ruling and the government’s decision to appeal the judgment. The petition therefore reminded President Abdel Aziz to ensure that the amended law is not applied retroactively, as this is “frowned upon as a travesty of justice in all jurisdictions and under all human rights instruments.”

kindly read the full petition below.

December 10, 2017

President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
Islamic Republic of Mauritania
Ministère du Secrétariat Général à la Présidence
B.P.184 Nouakchott, Mauritania

Your Excellency,

Petition over Freedom of Expression and Human Rights Violations in Mauritania

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2017, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its Partner Organisation in Mauritania, Regroupement de la Presse Mauritanienne (RPM), wish to express serious concern about recent press freedom and human rights violations in Mauritania and to appeal to your Excellency to act to stop the dreadful trend.

We are particularly concerned about the persecution of a group of senior journalists from various independent and critical media organisations over the past three months. We are also alarmed at recent developments regarding the blasphemy trial of blogger Cheikh Mohammed Ould M’kheitir who has been in detention since 2014.

On August 25, Moussa Samba Sy publication director of the Nouakchott Daily and President of the Mauritanian Press Group; the Administrative Manager of the CRIDEM news website, Rella Ba; Jedna Deida, founder of the news website Mauriweb and Ahmed Ould Cheikh, editorialist and director of the weekly Le Calame, were summoned and interrogated by the Economic Crimes Department of the Mauritanian Police. The authorities questioned them about their writings, the motives of their articles criticising the government and the sources of their funding.

After appearing before the public prosecutor and the panel of investigating judges, these four journalists were placed under strict judicial control. Their passports have been withdrawn; they are formally forbidden to leave Nouakchott and must report every Monday to the Directorate General of National Security.

We wish to point out that, despite press offenses having been decriminalised, some of these journalists had previously been summoned before a court in Nouadhibou, a city located 460 km from the capital upon a complaint by a minister, while others were placed under a committal order at the request of your son.

In our humble opinion, the repetition of such acts aimed at intimidating journalists and influencing their editorial line is unworthy of a respectable democracy which Mauritania is supposed to be.

These actions reflect a resolute will to stifle critical journalism as demonstrated by a directive issued by your Prime Minister in February 2016 prohibiting all state institutions and public enterprises from placing advertisement or taking subscriptions in private newspapers. This measure was clearly intended to economically suffocate the private media out of operation.

With regard to Cheikh Mohammed Ould M’kheitir, we view the continued detention of the blogger, despite the recent ruling that overturned his 2014 conviction for blasphemy, as an affront to the rule of law.

The hurried amendment of Mauritania’s penal code regarding blasphemy in reaction to the ruling and the Public Prosecutor’s decision to appeal the judgment give cause for concern. We wish to remind Your Excellency that applying laws retroactively is frowned upon as a travesty of justice in all jurisdictions and under all human rights instruments. We therefore urge you to restrain your Minister of Justice from making any such attempt, and to ensure that the rule of law is followed in the Ould M’kheitir case.

Press freedom and freedom of expression in general are pivotal to building democratic societies where human rights are respected. Violating these rights therefore amounts to a direct attack on the very foundation of democracy and human rights.

In view of this, we appeal to your high office to make it a point of honour to personally act to prevent Mauritania from continuing along this sad trajectory and becoming a human rights pariah among the comity of nations.

While awaiting a favourable reaction to the above concerns, we wish to convey to Your Excellency our sincerest salutation.

Signed:

Sulemana Braimah

Executive Director,

MFWA, Accra

M’Rabih Ould Deid

(Secretary General)

RPM, Nouakchott

After Jammeh’s Gambia will Conde’s Guinea Become the New Hell for Journalism in West Africa?

Vivian Affoah
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After Jammeh’s Gambia will Conde’s Guinea Become the New Hell for Journalism in West Africa?

Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA, highlights the deteriorating state of Press Freedom in Guinea.

Until January 2017, The Gambia was the most notorious country for press freedom violations in West Africa. For 22 years, the country’s brutal dictator, Yahya Jammeh, subjected journalists and human rights activists in the country to severe abuses including enforced disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings.

Press freedom conditions in The Gambia are steadily improving since Jammeh fled into exile on January 21, 2017 after suffering an unexpected electoral defeat in the December 1, 2016 polls and compelled by regional forces to relinquish power.

In a recent report assessing the situation in The Gambia a year after Jammeh’s exit, Vivian Affoah, a senior programme officer at the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) highlighted significant and positive changes to the general freedom of expression environment in the country over the one-year period.

While the press freedom situation in The Gambia over the last one year has been refreshing and inspiring, events in Guinea have been deeply distressing. In what seems like a race to become West Africa’s next worst violator of media freedoms, President Alpha Conde’s regime is fast becoming infamous for presiding over several media rights violations.

Just like former President Jammeh, President Conde, 79, has now jumped into the business of personally issuing orders to the Guinean media on what not to publish or broadcast. In what the MFWA referred to as “Presidential Censorship,” President Conde on November 25, 2017 ordered the Guinean media not to provide coverage for or grant interviews to the Deputy Secretary General of the country’s teachers’ union, Aboubacar Soumah. The teachers had been on strike for weeks; an action President Conde described as a rebellion by the teachers’ union.

Ironically, President Conde, who took over as Chairman of the African Union in January 2017, issued his censorship order while addressing the 46th meeting of the International Union of the Francophone Press in the capital, Conakry. The President did not only issue a censorship order. Contained in the order was a threat to shut down any media outlets that will violate the censorship order.

In just two days, the President’s censorship order was enforced. A popular radio station, BTA FM, located in the city of Labe, 450 km north of Conakry, was shut down. Local gendarmes (a para-military force) stormed the premises of the radio station and shut it down on the instruction of the governor for the Labe region shortly after the station had interviewed the censored teachers’ union leader.

Journalist Alpha Oumar Fogo, who interviewed the teachers’ union leader, was together with his colleague, Mamadou Saïdou Diallo, taken to the department of national security for interrogation. The two were released after three hours following public agitation.

A day after the closure of BTA FM, 40 leading radio stations in the country, reportedly ceased broadcasting for 24 hours. The action by the radio stations was in solidarity with BTA FM and to protest the Presidential media censorship and the growing culture of repression of freedom of expression in the country.

Prior to the infamous censorship order by President Conde, there had been a series of media rights violations in the country mostly perpetrated by state agencies or officials. On October 30, 2017, the national Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT) disrupted the transmission of Radio Gangan for four days. The action followed rumours that President Condé had died, which was falsely attributed to the station.

In addition to the disruption of its transmission, the radio station’s Editor-in-Chief, his deputy and the Commercial Manager, were taken into custody by security forces on accusations of ‘spreading false rumours.’ The three were released hours later, only for the general manager of the station, Aboubacar Camara, to be arrested and detained by gendarmes the following day.

To add to the wave of violations, gendarmes beat up several journalists from across Conakry who turned up at the offices of the para military group on October 31 to show solidarity with Camara following his arrest. The equipment of many of the affected journalists were also destroyed. Following the incident, a group of journalists’ associations lodged a complaint at a court in Conakry against the Squadron of the Gendarmerie for the assault on the journalists. The case is yet to be heard.

Three days after Camara’s arrest, (November 3), the media regulatory body, Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC), suspended Espace FM and all its relay outlets across the country for one week. The suspension followed a discussion on the radio station about the poor state of military garrisons in the country.

In connection with the same broadcast, Moussa Moïse Sylla, General Manager of Espace TV, who was a discussant on the radio programme, was on November 15, formally charged with “divulging military secrets.” Judgment for the case has been set for December 25, 2017.

Earlier in August, a journalist with one of the most influential news websites in the country www.aminata.com was attacked by political party supporters while another was unlawfully detained by a police officer who forced him to delete his recordings. The Management of the publication later issued a statement complaining of lack of redress for acts of aggression suffered by its reporters, despite formal complaints to the authorities.

As the violations multiplied, President Alpha Conde came out to express ‘deep concern.’ But in what turned out as a shock to the media and freedom of expression advocates, the President rather complained that public reactions to the violations were exaggerated. “As soon as a journalist is arrested, hell breaks loose,” President Conde said. “Meanwhile, in the countries considered to be democratic, journalists are arrested every day and nobody says anything.” This controversial remark was the prelude to his censorship order on the teachers’ union leader.

In the first quarter of 2017, the MFWA reported in its quarterly report titled West Africa Free Expression Monitor, five incidents of press freedom violations including a crackdown on student demonstrators resulting in seven deaths, two cases of physical attacks, one incident of arbitrary detention and one incident of interrogation.

The unending spate of press freedom violations has attracted the attention of not only the media community in the country. Civil society is beginning to speak up about the problem. Head of the coalition of civil society organisations in Guinea, Dr. Dassa Koroma, recently condemned the rampant attacks on journalists and other forms of media rights violations and urged the media and civil society community in the country to stand up and defend press freedom.

Guinea, one of Africa’s poorest countries that was hit by the recent deadly Ebola epidemic, has traditionally had a repressive press freedom environment. In the 2017 edition of the global freedom of the Press index by the US-based media rights group, Freedom House, Guinea and The Gambia were the two countries in West whose press freedom was rated as “not free.” The Island country of Cape Verde was rated as having a “free” media environment while the rest of the countries in the region were rated as having a “partly free” media landscape.

The transitional government which returned Guinea to democracy in 2010 after recent military interventions, passed Law /2010/002/CNT of June 22, 2010 to decriminalise press offenses as well as give citizens a legal right to information with the adoption of a Right to Information Law /2010/ 004/ CNT/.

Hopes were high when President Conde assumed the leadership of Guinea in 2010 after winning in a tightly-contested and contentious election. Conde became the country’s first freely elected leader and promised to strengthen democracy in the country.

On the evidence of the press freedom violations enumerated above, one can say that the Guinean authorities have failed to practically deliver on the good intentions of the transitional administration with regard to press freedom and democratic accountability. Now in his second five-year term, which ends in 2020, President Conde’s regime is viewed by many as one that has further worsened the state of press freedom in the country.

Over the years, there has been relatively limited press freedom advocacy and media development support initiatives by international organisations in Guinea. The local media advocacy groups in the country have also been quite fragmented and weak.

Guinea has been one of the most troubled countries in the region and obviously one of the countries requiring urgent support for democratic strengthening and consolidation. A stronger, independent media is one of the critical requirements for improving governance in Guinea. It is, therefore, crucial for regional and international media support groups to put Guinea on the front burner for media rights advocacy and media development support ahead of the country’s 2020 elections. Guinea must not be allowed to become a hell for journalism in West Africa.

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