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Côte d’Ivoire ALERT: Journalist suspended for one year for plagiarism

Vivian Affoah
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The Ivorian press regulatory body, Conseil National de la Presse (CNP), has suspended journalist Adama Coulibaly of the privately-owned newspaper Le sursaut for one year for committing a “type of plagiarism.”

The CNP announced this decision in a press release published on June 19, 2015.

The MFWA’s correspondent in Cote d’Ivoire reported that in addition to suspending the journalist, the CNP imposed a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (about US$860) on the publishers of Le Sursaut.

According to the CNP release, on June 10, 2015, Coulibaly “authored” an article titled, “Sexual attack: homosexual almost raped a trader” which was published in Le Sursaut. The said article according to the CNP, was a plagiarised work of Senegal-based online website  seneweb.com.  

Seneweb.com reportedly published the article on May 23, 2015, with the heading “Grand Dakar: a homosexual cobbler sequestrates and attempts to rape a customer after telling him: Dama la xémeem.”

“After studying the case, the council concluded that it was clearly a form of plagiarism in which the journalist in question pretended to be the original author of an article which was nothing more than a copy,” the CNP release said.

The CNP release added that Coulibaly and the publishers of Le Sursaut have 30 days starting from the date of notification of the CNP decision to appeal to a competent administrative court.

The MFWA regrets this incident and continues to appeal to journalists in West Africa to adhere to the ethics of the profession.

Falling Walls 2015 Science Fellowship for Journalists

Vivian Affoah
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The Falling Walls Foundation is inviting journalists to apply for its fellowship to attend the Falling Walls Conference, an international conference on future breakthroughs in science and society and its expanded programme, taking place in Berlin, Germany, on November 8 and 9, 2015.

The fellowship which was designed to ensure that the public is informed on life-changing scientific breakthroughs is aimed at journalists and bloggers with at least three years of experience who hope to advance their knowledge in the area of sciences.

The Foundation would be responsible for the expenses of the fellows, the expenses to be taken care of include: travel expenses (economy class), accommodation for 3 nights (organized by Falling Walls Foundation), conference fees and meals (breakfast at hotel, catering during the Falling Walls events). Fellows will also have the opportunity to attend the Falling Walls Lab, Falling Walls Venture and the Falling Walls Conference in Berlin.

Professionals in fields such as research, teaching, public relations and advertising are not eligible to apply for the fellowship. Only Freelance and full-time journalists or bloggers are eligible to apply but must have a minimum of three years professional journalism or blogging experience in which they have written about the subject of sciences.

The application deadline is July 31, 2015.

Applicants must complete the online form and submit two work samples together with a CV and cover letter (both in English) stating their motivation to apply for the fellowship. Kindly visit http://www.falling-walls.com/fellowships/apply to apply.

Credit: MRA

MFWA Participates In West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF)

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Participates In West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF)

The Forum which is under the theme “Internet: A Freedom for All” is discussing Internet and Human Rights, Universal Access and Internet for Economic Development. The Forum also features a panel discussion on the Africa Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, a Pan-African Initiative to promote human rights standards and principles of openness in internet policy formulation and implementation on the continent.

MFWA’s participation in WAIGF forms part of initiatives under the organisation’s ongoing regional Internet Freedom project. The project with funding support from UK-based Global Partners and Associates (GPA) seeks to highlight challenges of internet rights and usage in various countries of the region; mobilising and building civil society capacity to engage in internet rights advocacy; and working with governments to improve the internet environment in the region.

Earlier in March this year, the MFWA called on the Commissioner of the ICT and Telecom Department of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Isaias Barreto da Rosa, to brief him and his senior staff, on MFWA’s internet freedom project and the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms.

Commissioner Barreto da Rosa pledged the Commission’s commitment to promoting ICT development and the internet environment in West Africa adding that in demonstration of that, a session will be dedicated to discussions on the Africa Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms at the June WAIGF.

“We are very much happy that the ECOWAS ICT Commission indeed kept its promise of giving the Declaration a priority attention at the WAIGF. The Declaration seeks to cultivate an internet environment that can best meet Africa’s social and economic development needs and goals with a mission for it to be widely endorsed by all those with a stake in the internet in Africa to help shape approaches to internet policy-making and governance across the continent.  We sincerely hope discussions of this document will yield maximum endorsements for the declaration “- said MFWA’s Internet Freedom Project Co-ordinator, Dora B. Mawutor.

The MFWA is represented by Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director, Dora B. Mawutor Programme Officer and Co-ordinator of the Internet Freedom Project and Vivian Affoah Programme Assistant for the MFWA’s Free Expression Rights, Monitoring and Campaigns Programme.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on June 18, 2015. 

34 Organisations Join MFWA to Demand Justice for Murdered Sierra Leonean Journalist

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34 Organisations Join MFWA to Demand Justice for Murdered Sierra Leonean Journalist

Thirty-four prominent freedom of expression organisations around the world have joined the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to demand justice for the murder of a Sierra Leonean journalist Ibrahim Foday.

Foday was murdered four years ago, on June 12, 2011, when he was covering a violent clash over a land dispute between Grafton Town and Kossoh Town for the privately-ownedExclusive Newspaper. In November 2012, a suspect, Tunde Williams, was arrested and charged with Foday’s murder; however, the trial has not progressed since then. Williams is currently out on bail, and the judiciary has yet to select a panel of jurors to hear the case.

Foday’s family has waited four long years for justice. His children Joyce Foday and Joseph Dianni Foday have lamented to the MFWA how difficult their lives have been following their father’s murder. “We need help,” said Joseph. “I need justice to prevail for my late father and we are calling on the human rights and media rights groups to come to our aid.”

In order to push the justice process forward, the MFWA and 34 organisations petitioned President Ernest Bai Koroma and other stakeholders on the fourth anniversary of Foday’s death. The MFWA also hopes this plea more broadly helps to promote press freedom, protect the safety of journalists, and continue the fight against impunity in Sierra Leone and the rest of West Africa.

Please find the MFWA’s joint petition and signatories below.

PETITION

To His Excellency Dr Ernest Bai Koroma

President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone State House

Dear Sir:

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) along with the undersigned members of IFEX, the global network of organisations dedicated to promoting and defending freedom of expression worldwide, write to you regarding the case of the murdered journalist, Ibrahim Foday.

Foday was killed four years ago today on 12 June 2011 at the age of 38 while reporting for the privately owned Exclusive Newspaper near Grafton in the outskirts of Freetown.This incident took place during a violent clash over a land dispute between Grafton Town and Kossoh Town, which the journalist was covering. Prior to Ibrahim Foday’s death, he published a series of critical articles about the dispute, to the apparent chagrin of the residents of Kossoh Town.

Initially, the Sierra Leone Police Force arrested a police officer and Victor Haffner, a Kossoh community leader, in connection with Foday’s murder. Later, both were released and Tunde Williams, Haffner’s driver, was arrested on 3 November 2012 and charged with the crime.

However, nearly three years after Williams was arrested and charged, no further progress has been made. We understand the case is being tried at the High Court of Sierra Leone by Justice M.A. Paul, and the matter has come up for hearing before him more than seven times without proceeding. The judiciary has yet to even select a panel of jurors to deliberate on the matter.

Foday’s children, Joyce Foday and Joseph Dianni Foday lamented how difficult their life has been following their father’s murder. “We are seriously suffering in terms of education”, Joseph told our Sierra Leone correspondent. “Our grandmother is a retired worker and she cannot afford to take care of our education. We need help. I need justice to prevail for my late father and we are calling on the human rights and media rights groups to come to our aid.”

Jestina Kumba Wainday, Foday’s mother, who resides in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone, told the correspondent that travelling from Kenema to Freetown to attend court is “frustrating”. “I spend a lot of resources anytime the matter comes up for hearing yet the case does not go anywhere,” she told the correspondent.

Your Excellency, when perpetrators of freedom of expression violations go unpunished, it fosters impunity and removes a major deterrent—criminal sanction—to the commission of deadly crimes. Specifically, the failure to hold murderers accountable for killing journalists has a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Due to the important role of press freedom in promoting good governance and democracy, justice must be served for Foday, and impunity for crimes against journalists must end.

The undersigned organisations commend you on the improvements in the media environment in Sierra Leone since you assumed office in 2007. We are also aware of your personal interventions to promote media development and professionalism among the Sierra Leonean media.

However, four years is too long to wait for justice and this delay in Foday’s case has only increased the hardship faced by both victims and the accused. With this letter, we appeal to you to intervene in this matter and ensure that the stalled process moves forward to achieve justice for Ibrahim Foday’s death and closure and peace of mind for his family.

Signed,

Media Foundation for West Africa,Ghana

Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech ,Kazakhstan

Afghanistan Journalists Center, Afghanistan

Albanian Media Institute,  Albania

Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, Egypt

ARTICLE 19, United Kingdom

Bahrain Center for Human Rights, Bahrain

Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Cambodia

Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, Cambodia

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Canada

Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility ,Philippines

Center for Media Studies & Peace Building, Liberia

Centre for Independent Journalism – Malaysia, Malaysia

Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP, Cambodia

Freedom Forum, Nepal

Globe International Center , Mongolia

Index on Censorship , United Kingdom

Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information, Indonesia

International Federation of Journalists , Belgium

International Press Institute ,Austria

Maharat Foundation , Lebanon

Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia

Media Institute of Southern Africa , Namibia

Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria

Media Watch, Bangladesh

Pacific Islands News Association , Fiji Island 

Pakistan Press Foundation , Pakistan

Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms – MADA , Palestine

PEN American Center, USA

PEN International , United Kingdom

PEN Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone

Reporters Without Borders, France

Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Thailand

World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, France

World Press Freedom Committee, France

Burkina Faso: Massive Victory for Justice and Fight Against Impunity

mesh
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Burkina Faso: Massive Victory for Justice and Fight Against Impunity

The African Court for Human and Peoples Rights ordered Burkina Faso to implement remedies, including reopening the investigation, and damages in the murder case of journalist Norbert Zongo and his three companions in its June 5, 2015 ruling.

First, the African Court ordered Burkina Faso to reopen the murder case of journalists Norbert Zongo and Blaise Ilboudo, Zongo’s brother Ernest Zongo, and their driver, Abdoulaye Nikiema. Burkina Faso is also tasked with locating, prosecuting, and trying those responsible for the four murders.

Second, the African Court asked the country to pay damages of CFA 25 million (US about $43,000) to each of the victims’ partners and CFA 15 million (about US $26,000) to each of their children. The damages ordered total one million US dollars.

Third, Burkina Faso must publish  the court clerk’s official French summary of the judgment once in its official gazette, once in a widely disseminated daily national newspaper, and on the government’s website for a year. The African Court required circulation of the judgment in order to help ensure non-recurrence of similar violations in the future.

Fourth, within six months from the date of the judgment, the country must report back to the African Court on the status of implementation of all decisions in the judgment.

Before his murder in December 1998, Zongo, then publisher and editor of I’Indépendant, was investigating the murder of the driver of Francois Compaoré, the brother of then president, Blaise Compaoré. Charges brought against Francois Compaoré for the murder of the driver were subsequently dropped.

Following Zongo’s murder, a commission of inquiry on the four murders identified six suspects for prosecution. However, only one of the six, Marcel Kafando, a member of the presidential guard, was charged with Zongo’s murder. He was later acquitted. In 2006, the government closed the case citing lack of evidence as its reason.

This is the second ruling by the African Court on Zongo’s murder. On March 28, 2014, the Court ruledthat Burkina Faso “failed to act with due diligence in seeking, trying and judging the assassins of Norbert Zongo and his companions.” The case was initiated by Genevive Zongo, wife of Norbert Zongo, with assistance from the NGO Le Mouvement Burkinabé des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples (Burkinabe Movement for Human and Peoples’ Rights).

The African Court was established through the Protocol on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was adopted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on June 9, 1998 and entered into force on January 25, 2004. Its decisions are final and binding on states that ratified the Protocol.

The Gambia Must Implement ECOWAS Court Judgment on Murdered Journalist Deyda Hydara

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The Gambia Must Implement ECOWAS Court Judgment on Murdered Journalist Deyda Hydara

Today, June 10, 2015 marks one year since the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice ordered The Gambia to pay $50,000 in damages to the family of Deyda Hydara, who was murdered over ten years ago.

The Gambia has not complied with this judgment, just as it has not implemented previous Court judgments regarding the enforced disappearance of Ebrima Manneh and the arbitrary arrest and detention and torture of Musa Saidykhan.

President Yahya Jammeh, increasingly known to civil society as West Africa’s King of Impunity, has made a presidential career out of abusing journalists, human rights defenders, and other outspoken innocents long before Hydara was targeted and killed in a drive-by shooting on December 16, 2004. Since then, the African Commission, located in The Gambia’s capital Banjul, adopted resolutions on The Gambia’s deteriorating human rights situation, emphasizing the dangers in exercising the right to freedom of expression in the country.

Exactly a year ago today, the ECOWAS Court found that The Gambia did not conduct a proper investigation into Hydara’s murder and allowed a climate of impunity to thrive. Furthermore, the Court found that “such impunity has the effect of denying journalists the right to function, thus stifling freedom of expression.” Thus, The Gambia has not satisfied its duty “to ensure respect for the rights of journalists” as directed by Article 66 of the ECOWAS Treaty. The Court ultimately awarded $50,000 in damages to Hydara’s family for The Gambia’s failure to exercise due diligence in investigating this murder.

The first anniversary of the Hydara decision comes on the heels of the seventh anniversary of the Court’s ruling in favour of Ebrima Manneh. Despite the final and binding nature of ECOWAS Court decisions, The Gambia continues to disregard the three Court judgments against it. Although ECOWAS has the power to sanction any Member State in violation of its statutory obligations, The Gambia currently faces no sanctions for its persistent non-compliance.

Today, the MFWA once again calls on The Gambia to implement all Court judgments and pay damages as ordered. In addition, the MFWA strongly urges ECOWAS to add much-needed teeth to its rulings and impose and enforce sanctions against The Gambia. According to Article 77 of the ECOWAS Treaty, sanctions against The Gambia—which may include suspension of loans, assistance, or participation in ECOWAS activities, among other things—can increase public faith and trust in the Court as an effective human rights court. However, The Gambia’s ongoing non-compliance risks delegitimizing the ECOWAS Court’s standing as a promising international justice mechanism. Instead of giving The Gambia an effective free pass, ECOWAS must take action to strengthen the Court to uphold justice, which is also a prerequisite for the promotion of peace and stability in the region.

Ghana: Employment Ministry to Collaborate With the Media to Fight Child Labour

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Ghana: Employment Ministry to Collaborate With the Media to Fight Child Labour

Government is delighted to collaborate with the media to disseminate information efficiently and effectively to fight the problem of Child Labour, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, has stated.

Hon. Iddissu, who made the statement in an address delivered on his behalf at the launch of this year’s World Day Against Child Labour in Accra, last week, noted that the issue of Child Labour required a holistic approach which should comprise providing free compulsory and quality education, ensuring that all boys and girls have a safe and quality learning environment, the enforcement of laws on child labour and promoting social protection policies to encourage school attendance.

According to him, a recent data published by UNESCO on school enrolment indicated that 58 million children of primary school age and 63 million adolescents of Junior Secondary School age were still not enrolled in school, making it difficult for the Millennium Development Goal of the United Nations to be achieved. For her part, the Deputy Head, Gender and Social Protection at the Trades Union Congress, Madam Teresa Abugah, said the country had made significant strides in reducing the incidence of child labour. Mad. Abuga said the elimination of child labour was a collective responsibility and that every individual and stakeholder had a key role to play.

In a statement, a Representative of the International Labour Organisation, Madam Akua Ofori Asumadu, observed that globally, the persistence of child labour was rooted in poverty, lack of decent work for adults, lack of social protection and failure to ensure that all children were attending school through to the legal minimum age for admission to employment.

Speaking on the theme; ‘No to Child Labour–Yes to Quality Education’, Madam Asumadu said education was the right response to child labour as it occupied a central place in human rights and essential for the exercise of human rights as well as development.

In his remarks, Mr Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Chairman for the occasion, disclosed that the current Child Labour rate in Ghana stood at 20%, with 1 out of every 5 children involved in some level of labour. Mr Braimah said the World Day Against Child Labour, therefore, aimed to foster dialogue, reflect and attempt to find solutions to problems facing children.

A key challenge facing the complete eradication of child labour in Ghana, he noted, was the cultural nuances that society attached to the definition of the subject.

He, therefore, implored parents and the media, as well as other stakeholders, to get involved in the crusade to fight for the rights and social protection of every child.

Source: Information Services Department (Ghana)

Nigeria ALERT: Journalist detained for taking pictures

Vivian Affoah
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Simon Utebor, the Bayelsa State Correspondent of the Punch newspaper was on May 28, 2015 harassed and detained by soldiers guarding the country home of then outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, for taking photographs of the sprawling expanse of real estate.

Utebor was in Otuoke to ascertain the level of preparedness ahead of Jonathan’s homecoming and was taking photographs of the home where the ex-president will live after six years at the helms of the nation’s affairs.

The men of the Joint Task Force operating in the area arrested him after harassing him and handed him over to the Bayelsa police. He was reportedly transferred to the state CID where he made a statement on the incident.

A journalist with one of the national dailies, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that: “They arrested him and took him to Kolo Police Station in Ogbia Local Government Area. From there, they took him (Utebor) to the Bayelsa State Police Command. The IPO took him to the state CID where he was asked to write a statement.

“Instead of the IPO to take Utebor back to the CP around 6pm, they detained him and later pushed into the cell,” the journalist said.

Narrating his ordeal after his release, Utebor said after he began taking pictures of activities of construction going on, some operatives of the Joint Task Force guarding the gate of the estate swooped on him. He said they ordered him to surrender his Blackberry which he was using to capture the scene and that he obliged without hesitation. He said he was informed that he was under arrest and all the gadgets including his Samsung Galaxy Notes, mobile phone and BlackBerry were confiscated.

In addition, the military men also seized his official identity card and wristwatch accusing him of espionage and ordered to name his sponsors.

Utebor said they tortured him in spite of explaining to them that he is a journalist. They disclosed to him that he was on their wanted list having written an earlier piece titled “Aso Rock exit: Jonathan to live in Island Palatial estate,” threatening he will pay dearly for the report.

While he was being tortured, the rain began to fall and he was asked to stand in the rain where he was completely drenched. He said he was detained for over 5 hours at the security gate to ex-president Jonathan’s estate before he was driven to Kolo Police Station in Ogbia where he was again detained for about 30 minutes and later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yenagoa. It was here that he was allowed to make a call to his colleague.

The journalist said at the SCID, the police took his statement. At about 8pm he said the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) ordered that he be ‘properly’ detained and at 9pm, after he was stripped of his clothing, he was thrown into a cell with other detainees.

He said at about 12.30 am on Friday, he was brought out, given a bail bond to fill and released on self-recognition, without being given the property confiscated from him but asked to report at the station later in the day.

Credit MRA

Nigeria ALERT: Political party thugs assault journalist

Vivian Affoah
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Nigeria ALERT: Political party thugs assault journalist

On June 3, 2015, political thugs suspected to be working for Ayodele Fayose, the governor of Ekiti State in South-west Nigeria, assaulted Kamarudeen Ogundele, the state correspondent of the Punch newspapers.

The MFWA’s partner organisation in Nigeria, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), reported that Ogundele was in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, to “gauge the mood following attempts by 19 state law makers from the All Progressives Congress to impeach the governor and the governor’s frantic efforts to frustrate the move.”

According to the MRA, Ogundele was taking photographs of women praying when thugs attacked and beat him “with various weapons”. His clothes got torn in the process.

“I was about leaving the place when I saw the women praying for peace to reign in the state.” Ogundele reportedly said. “I felt it was a spiritual approach to the trouble in the state, so I decided to take the picture. The thugs emerged from their hideouts and swooped on me.”

 “I kept shouting ‘I’m a journalist’ but they did not show me mercy as they pounced on me”, added Ogundele. “They were like 50 persons kicking me all at the same time. They dragged me out of the car and continued hitting me. At a time, one of them went to carry a big plank of wood in an attempt to hit my head.”

Two policemen reportedly tried to intervene in the matter but they were over-powdered by the thugs. Later, the police reportedly helped Ogundele escape from the thugs.

Fayose reportedly apologized for the attack on the journalist, indicating he did not support the actions of the thugs.

Photo credit: MRA

The Gambia ALERT: Soldiers detain journalist

Vivian Affoah
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The Gambia ALERT: Soldiers detain journalist

On June 3, 2015, Mafugi Ceesay, senior reporter of The Voice newspaper, was arrested by Gambian soldiers and detained by plainclothes officers while covering a meeting of President Yahya Jammeh at Sukuta village.

The Voice said Ceesay was assigned to cover the president’s meeting at Sukuta village in the Kombo North District of West Coast Region.

“I was interrogated by a soldier who asked whether I have any clearance to cover the president’s meeting,” Ceesay reportedly told his newspaper. “I was asked whether I heard my name on the list of reporters who have been given the clearance from Lamin Manga, the Press Officer of State House, to cover state functions, and I replied in the negative.”

According to The Voice, the officer arrested Ceesay and handed him over to a group of soldiers stationed behind a tent where President Jammeh was seated.

“They opened my bag and pull out copies of The Voice, my notebook, press card and recorder,” Ceesay said.

One of the soldiers reportedly grabbed Ceesay’s neck and said, “You offended the law by covering state functions involving the president without any authority. You will regret this and I will take you to my seniors – whatever they say, that’s what we will do to you.”

The soldiers then went through the newspaper they had seized from Ceesay, took the newspaper’s address, contacts and name of the proprietor and also questioned the newspaper’s period of existence. The soldiers reportedly then called one Charlie, a plainclothes soldier, to take Ceesay to the location where other plainclothes officers were stationed at the venue.

“After several phone calls to persons unknown to me, my details were taken – telephone numbers and residential address,” Ceesay said. “I was made to stand for the entire period of my detention, and released only after the meeting was over.”

The Voice newspaper has condemned the incident.

“We condemn the actions of the security officers and this attack on press freedom,” said Modou S. Joof, an editor at The Voice. “Our reporter was simply covering a public event that should not only be open to the public but to journalists as well. It should be free of hassle because the media has an important role to play in disseminating the information to a bigger audience.”

MFWA Board of Directors Deplores Lack of Progress on Digital Migration

Vivian Affoah
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MFWA Board of Directors Deplores Lack of Progress on Digital Migration

The Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has expressed serious concern about the apparent lack of progress in the Digital Migration process in West Africa, especially in view of the internationally mandated June 17 deadline for all countries to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting.

The Board noted that given the pervasiveness of television as a source of information for a large proportion of the population in West Africa and prevalence of analogue television sets in the region, the obvious inability of countries to meet the agreed deadline has potentially serious implications for access to information and freedom of expression in the region.

The concerns of the MFWA’s Board are contained in an 11-point Resolution adopted at the end of its two-day meeting in Porto Novo, Benin, on May 29, 2015.

“The Board also expresses deep concern about the low level of public awareness of the digital migration process and calls on the media and civil society groups in West Africa to support public education efforts to prepare citizens in their respective countries for the digital migration,” the Resolution noted.

The Resolution urged governments in West Africa to prioritise safety of journalists in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity, and the recent UN Security Council Resolution on the Safety of Journalists.

The Security Council Resolution (Resolution 2222) adopted on May 27, 2015, urges Member States of the United Nations to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists, media professionals and associated personnel to perform their work independently and without undue interference.

The Board Resolution also touches on other critical issues relating to freedom of expression and press freedom in the West Africa region including concerns about lowering professional standards among the media in the region; the need for states to decriminalise defamation; and the need for governments and regional bodies in West Africa to make significant investments in ICTs and work collaboratively to promote internet rights and freedoms.

The full resolution is below.

Resolution

By the Board of Directors of Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) at its Meeting held in Porto Novo, Benin, on May 28 & 29, 2015.

On May 28 and 29, 2015, the Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) met in Porto Novo, Benin, to discuss and review a number of strategic issues relating to the operations of the organisation as well as the broader issues of freedom of expression in West Africa.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman, Mr. Edetaen Ojo, who is also the Executive Director of the Nigeria-based Media Rights Agenda.  At the end of the two-day meeting, the Board unanimously adopted and issued this resolution:

1. The Board notes with serious concern the apparent lack of progress in the Digital Migration process in West Africa, especially in view of the internationally mandated deadline of June 17, 2015, for all countries to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting.

2.Given the pervasiveness of television as a source of information and entertainment for a considerably large proportion of the population in the various countries of West Africa, and given the current prevalence of analogue television sets in the region, the Board is extremely concerned about the obvious inability of countries in the region to meet the agreed deadline and potentially dire implications for access to information and freedom of expression in the region.

3. Mindful of the fact that the digital migration process requires policy, legal and regulatory reforms, the Board reiterates its call on governments to adopt a multi-stakeholder and consultative approach in all policy, legal and regulatory reform processes associated with the proposed digital migration so that all critical stakeholders can be effectively engaged.

4. The Board also expresses deep concern about the low level of public awareness of the digital migration process and calls on the media and civil society groups in West Africa to support public education efforts to prepare citizens in their respective countries for the digital migration. It also urges governments to protect citizens’ right to freedom of expression and access to information in the digital migration process, including providing them with adequate information about its potential impact on them, cost implications and important timelines.

5. The Board notes that attacks on journalists and impunity over crimes committed against journalists remain major obstacles to press freedom, freedom of expression, access to information as well as the capacity of the media to contribute effectively towards development. The Board, therefore, welcomes the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2222 by the UN Security Council, which urges Member States of the United Nations to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists, media professionals and associated personnel to perform their work independently and without undue interference. The Board also calls on governments and all other stakeholders to continue to prioritise the protection of journalists and the fight against impunity for crimes committed against journalists.

6. In the spirit of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity, and the recent Security Council Resolution referenced above, the Board reiterates its call on ECOWAS leaders and relevant organs of ECOWAS to ensure compliance with and the enforcement of the decisions of the Regional Court of Justice in order to discourage acts of impunity within the region.

7. The Board also calls on governments in West Africa to take urgent steps to decriminalise defamation to promote media freedom and freedom of expression as espoused in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy as well as the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework.

8. In recognition of the great importance of non-restrictive legal environment for press freedom and media development, the Board highly commends the government and Parliament of Benin for recently passing a harmonised media law that decrimilises defamation, guarantees access to information for journalists, streamlines advertising in the media as well as other progressive provisions that promote press freedom.

9. The Board also expresses concern about the lowering professional standards among the media in the region. It therefore calls on media owners, managers, editors and journalists in the region to pay urgent attention to the issue by taking steps to improve professional standards.  Given the important role of the media in governance and democratic processes in West Africa, the Board urges the media in the region to continue to play a critical role in promoting peaceful elections particularly in the upcoming elections in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire, which are all transitional countries.

10. The Board recognises and highlights the importance of internet penetration, affordability and access, for the promotion of accountable, transparent governance and access to information, and for the overall development of West Africa. It therefore calls on national governments in West Africa and regional bodies to endorse the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. The Board also calls on national governments and regional bodies in West Africa to make significant investments in ICTs and work collaboratively to promote internet rights and freedoms in the region.

11. The Board resolves to work with partners and other stakeholders in the region and beyond to organise a regional Conference on Freedom of Expression in Lusophone Africa to address the peculiar challenges confronting the media in Lusophone countries on the continent. The Conference is planned to take place in Praia, Cape Verde, later in 2015.

Adopted in Porto Novo, Benin, this Friday, the 29th day of May, 2015

Nigeria ALERT: Police brutalize journalist

Vivian Affoah
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Nigeria ALERT: Police brutalize journalist

On June 2, 2015, policemen attached to Yaba Police Area Command in Ondo State, in Nigeria, physically attacked Victor Akinkuolie, a correspondent with The Hope, a state-owned newspaper.

According to the Daily Post website which reported the incident, Akinkuolie was brutalized for criticising the policemen. Akinkuolie was on his way to cover an event when he saw a police vehicle blocking a major route. He reportedly challenged the policemen in the vehicle and subsequently took an alternative road.

The police, however, trailed him to an area known as Idi-ishin where they ordered him out of his car.

“I immediately came down, and I saw policemen numbering five; they descended heavily on me beating me to comatose,” Akinkuolie reportedly told the Daily Post. “It took the intervention of some newspaper vendors in the area who rescued me from being brutalised.”

According to the Daily Post, Akinkuolie was treated at the hospital for his wounds.

“The Ondo Area Commander, Mr Nosa Osakwe, was not around during the attack”, the Daily Post reported. “But a senior police officer attached to the station promised to investigate the matter and ensure that appropriate action was taken on those officers found liable”.

The MFWA condemns this attack against Akinkuolie. We are increasingly worried about several instances of attacks against journalists in Nigeria this year, as no perpetrators have been punished yet. We call on Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police to ensure that the policemen who attacked Akinkuolie are punished in order to deter further acts of crimes against journalists and prevent impunity for such acts.

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