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Gambia Alert: Police detain journalist for human trafficking story

Vivian Affoah
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Police in Banjul on June 27, 2014, detained Sanna Camara, a journalist with privately-owned The Standard newspaper at the Bundung police station, about 13 kilometers from the capital Banjul. According to MFWA’s sources, the detention was as a result of a story written by Camara in the paper’s June 27, edition. The said story, titled “Police admits ‘problems’ with human trafficking”, was based on an interview the journalist had with the police PRO ASP David Kujabi on the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) for 2014.

The TIP report among other things said “within The Gambia, women, girls, and, to a lesser extent, boys are subjected to sex trafficking and domestic servitude. Women, girls, and boys from West African countries,mainly Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Benin are recruited for commercial sexual exploitation in The Gambia”.

In Camara’s story, Kujabi reportedly admitted that Gambian police face challenges in combatting human trafficking, largely due to the unwillingness of victims or their families to aid investigations. Camara was detained and questioned about the story on June 27 and released on June 28. He was then asked to report at the major crime unit at the main police headquarters in Banjul on June 30 and July 1.

The MFWA condemns the detention and continued harassment of the journalist who was merely doing his work. We urge the Gambian Police Force to allow the media to carry out their duties in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation and harassment.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter @TheMFWA

Marginal Improvement In State of Free Expression Violations in West Africa – MFWA Report

Vivian Affoah
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Analyses of incidents of freedom of expression violations in the 16 countries of West Africa during the first four months of 2014 show a marginal improvement in both the number and severity of violations compared with the same period in 2013.

This   improvement  in particularly media freedom and media pluralism in the region can  be largely  attributed to the  relatively stable   political  atmosphere    and the consistent  campaign by Freedom  of Expression groups  like  the MFWA. Actions  that tend to  limit  freedom  of expression  however  still  exist  in  West Africa.

In this report, the MFWA analyses the number and types of FoE violations that occurred in countries across West Africa for the period January-April 2014. The trends are compared with incidents during the same period in 2013.

The full report can be accessed by clicking here

Statement: Recent Attacks on Nigerian Press Worrying

Vivian Affoah
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From June 6-9, 2014, there have been different incidents of attacks on media freedom in Nigeria. The attacks have come in the form of seizure of publications of The Punch, The Nation, Daily Trust, Leadership and Vanguard newspapers.

There have been arrest of newspaper workers and detention of vehicles belonging to media organisations. Some newspapers have also had their delivery vans searched while vendors in many parts of the country were also questioned.

There have also been reports that heavily armed soldiers were seen at the Murtala Muhammed international airport in Lagos searching all the editions of newspapers waiting to be sent out. According to The Nation newspaper said soldiers told its distributors they were acting on reports that attackers were attempting to use the newspaper distribution system to “ferry explosives to wreak havoc”. The Daily Trust also said some of its vendors were arrested, and that a senior military figure had accused the media of “publishing and selling falsehood”.

Officials have however said it is a routine security operation and denied confiscating copies of newspapers. Many are worried that this is coming days after the country’s Information Minister, Labaran Maku, reportedly warned the media to “define the lines between the urge to report and the need to protect the interest of our nation”. Witnesses said delivery drivers had their mobile phones confiscated and were not allowed to take the newspapers when they left.

Meanwhile MFWA’s partner in Nigeria, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has described the situation as constituting harassment of the media.

“We are not at all persuaded by the Federal Government’s excuse that the action of its security forces in obstructing the operations of media workers all over the country and harassing them for no legitimate reason, is a routine security exercise. There can be nothing routine in such widespread and systematic violation of the rights of media workers and the flagrant breach of Nigeria’s international obligation to respect and uphold the rights of its citizens, including the media, ” Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of the MRA said.

These acts constitute censorship and stifle the media who are the mouth pieces of the ordinary citizen. It also violates the fundamental right of the public to information. Again it heightens the already tense climate of fear in the country.

The MFWA is by this statement urging the government of President Goodluck Jonathan to call the security forces to order and allow the media to carry out their duties in an atmosphere devoid of intimidation and harassment.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on June 10, 2014

MFWA writes to ECOWAS Chairman on Boko Haram, Need for Justice

Vivian Affoah
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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has called on the Chairman of ECOWAS, President John Dramani Mahama, to give prominence to justice and the fight against impunity in his ongoing efforts to deal with the security challenges facing the region.

According to the MFWA, the ongoing efforts to deal with security challenges of the region must be pursued alongside a clear and purposeful commitment to punish perpetrators of crime and human rights violations and providing justice to victims of such crimes and violations.

“We are of the view that justice has always been a fundamental element and prerequisite in the promotion of peace and stability. It is important to have in place, a strong justice mechanism that deters perpetrators of crimes and assures potential victims of justice,” said, the Executive Director of the MFWA, Sulemana Braimah.

The organisation has therefore expressed grave concern about the dwindling authority and capacity of the ECOWAS community Court of Justice mainly as a result of non-compliance with judgements of Court by member states.

According to the MFWA’s Executive director, the ECOWAS Court has so far delivered many seminal judgements and proven to be a bold adjudicator of last resort within the region. However, over 60% of the Court’s judgements involving member states have not been complied with.

“We cannot be talking about peace and security without a commitment to ensure justice. We are, therefore, calling on the ECOWAS Chairman, to include the issue of Justice and the empowerment of the ECOWAS Court in all his agenda for peace and in his deliberations with colleague Heads of State,” Sulemana recommended.

The MFWA’s letter comes ahead of President Mahama’s invitation of ECOWAS leaders to a meeting in Accra on Friday May 30, to discuss the security situation in the region especially the recent attacks of the Boko Haram group in Nigeria.

Below is the full letter from the MFWA to the ECOWAS Chairman.

The Chairman
ECOWAS
Flagstaff House
Republic of Ghana
Accra, Ghana

May 28, 2014:

Your Excellency,

Need for Strong Justice Mechanism in Dealing with Security Challenges of the Region

On behalf of our partner organisations in ECOWAS member states, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) wishes to once again congratulate you on your election to the high office of Chairman of the ECOWAS. We also wish to further commend you on your ongoing efforts in tackling the security problems in the region, particularly the threats posed by the Boko Haram group.

Your Excellency, we are writing to you to highlight the need to have a strong justice mechanism as part of the ongoing efforts to improve the security situation in the region.

As a civil society group, we are happy that you have chosen to focus on dealing with the most important challenge facing the region at the moment – the alarming threats to regional Peace and Security. This is because, peace and stability is central to the fulfilment of having an ECOWAS of citizens rather than of states, as envisioned in the agenda of the regional body.

However, as you are aware, Your Execllency, the fight for peace and stability requires very strong justice mechanisms that make it possible for perpetrators of crime (especially international crimes) to be duly punished and for victims to have access to justice.

We are of the view that justice has always been a fundamental element and prerequisite in the promotion of peace and stability. This is why we are deeply concerned about the weakening authority and capacity of the ECOWAS Court of Justice.

So far, the ECOWAS Court has delivered many seminal judgements and proven to be a bold adjudicator of last resort within the region. However, over 60% of the Court’s judgements involving member states have not been complied with. This spate of non-compliance is extremely worrying as it reduces the authority and usefulness of the Court. The situation is also worrying because it fosters impunity and reduces citizens’ confidence in the Court as a regional judicial mechanism.

Officials of the Court have on several occasions complained about the issue of non-compliance as a breach of the Statutes of the ECOWAS and the Treaty that establishes the Court. Several studies and statements have also pointed to the issue of non-compliance as a major challenge to the Court’s authority, credibility and continued relevance.

Your Excellency, given the centrality of rule of law and justice to your pursuit of peace and stability in the region, we are calling on you to prioritise the strengthening of the Court by urging member states to respect the judgments of the Court.

We also urge you to lead the invocation of the sanctions provisions in the ECOWAS treaty against member states that refuse to comply with decisions of the Community Court

We appreciate your consideration of this letter, and would welcome the chance to discuss these issues with you or your representatives in greater depth.

Sincerely,

fad

Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director.

 

24 Monitors trained under WAHRD programme

Vivian Affoah
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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) under the West Africa Human Rights and Democracy programme and funded by IBIS-Ghana has trained 24 individuals to monitor and report on women’s participation in public discourse programmes on selected radio stations in Ghana.

The monitors training forms part of activities under the ‘Increasing women’s voices and participation in public discourse and programmes in Ghana’ project being carried out in collaboration with the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa.

The project which started last year seeks to influence gender policies and practices among the media and political parties in Ghana in order to increase the participation of women in public discussions and debates.

The monitors were taken through category definitions in the Media-Gender Equality Monitoring Instrument and the Coding Schemes for the monitoring exercise.
The Monitoring Instrument was developed by a team of media and women’s rights experts to guide monitors in reporting on the participation of women in on-air programmes (either as host, panellists, interviewee etc.). The monitoring will also highlight stereo-typical comments made against women and the general portrayal of women on radio.
A total of 24 radio stations across the country will be monitored from June to November 2014.

Sierra Leone Alert: Defense Minister threatens journalist

Vivian Affoah
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The Sierra Leonean Minister of Defense Alfred Paolo Conteh on May 10, 2014, threatened Edward Marah managing editor of a privately-owned weekly The Informant newspaper.

The MFWA’s correspondent in the country reported that the minister’s action followed a series of publications by Marah which alleged that the minister had misappropriated funds allocated to the Peace Support Operations of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF).

According to Marah, he received a phonecall from mobile number 076-712-635 and when he answered, it was the Minster. “Hello is that Edward Marah? You have started writing about me again. This time I would ensure that I follow you to wherever and you would not go free. I would make sure I get you this time” the Minister is reported to have said to Marah.

Marah on May 12, 2014 wrote a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police and copied to the Office of the President, the Independent Media Commission (IMC), CSOs, all media houses, Embassies, among others.

“As a professional journalist and a respecter of institutions of government charged with the responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of citizen, I have decided to make a formal complaint at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police at Pademba Road in Freetown for this life-threatening remarks coming from no less a person but the Minister of Defense who is supposed to be focused on securing the territorial boundaries of Sierra Leone while keeping her safe from external aggression,” Marah said.

The MFWA is worried about this development and appeals to the security agencies to ensure the safety of the journalist.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter: @TheMFWA

Visit our Facebook page: Media Foundation for West Africa

Cote d’Ivoire Alert: Journalist brutalized by bodyguard of opposition leader

Vivian Affoah
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Fabrice Tété, a correspondent of privately-owned Le Temps newspaper was on May 2, 2014, brutalized by the bodyguard of Pascal Affi N’guessan, Chairman of the opposition Ivorian Popular Front party,.

MFWA’s correspondent in the country reported that Tété had gone to the residence of N’guessan at Bongouanou in the Central-Eastern region, where other journalists had also been invited to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.

The bodyguard whose name is unknown is reported to have charged and manhandled Tete on seeing him at the event. Tété sustained bruises on his head and foot. He was spared only after some party members who were also at the gathering came to his rescue.

The MFWA condemns this attack on the journalist and calls on the police to investigate the matter and bring the bodyguard to book. We also urge event organizers to ensure the safety of journalists invited to events.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter: @TheMFWA

Visit our Facebook page: Media Foundation for West Africa

World Press Freedom Day: See Media As Development Partners

Vivian Affoah
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On the occasion of this year’s world press freedom day, the Media Foundation for West Africa congratulates all media (traditional and new) in the West Africa Region for their immense role in supporting informed citizen participation in the democratization processes of the various countries in the region. The Foundation also takes the opportunity to pay blazing tribute to all journalists who have lost their lives in their line of duty.

As the theme for this year’s celebrations intimates – “Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda –” the media continue to be critical development partners. The watchdog role of the media helps in reporting successes in development interventions while helping to hold governments, businesses and others accountable.

The MFWA, therefore, calls on governments in the region and beyond to see the media as partners and provide an unfettered environment for freedom of expression and media practice – both online and offline. We also urge societies/groups and individuals to actively support the promotion and defence of the fundamental right to free expression to promote civic engagement in all social and political processes.

We also encourage citizens to take advantage of the new media and its prospects, and also the mobile phone boom on the continent to actively participate in the development and overall governance processes of their respective countries.

For their own sustainability and integrity of journalism, the MFWA also calls on the media in the region to exercise high levels of professionalism in the discharge of their duties as they bring news to the doorsteps of the citizenry and help in building open and transparent societies.

The Media Foundation for West Africa is a regional freedom of expression organisation that promotes, defends, protect and expand the fundamental freedom of expression of all persons in West Africa.

For more information, please contact

Sulemana Braimah

Executive Director

MFWA

Accra

Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70

Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter @TheMFWA

Visit our Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

Ghana Alert: 1st quarter of 2014 witnesses increase in security violations against journalists

Vivian Affoah
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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has noticed with concern the increasing acts of violations perpetrated against journalists in their line of duty. Even before the end of the first quarter of 2014, the MFWA’s Freedom of Expression and safety of journalists monitoring shows that four cases of press freedom violations have been committed by some members of the security agencies.

On April 11, 2014, Ebenezer Kwame Abaka, a Western Regional Correspondent of TV3 a privately-owned television station was heckled by a military man and his camera seized at an event he was invited to.

The journalist had gone to cover the passing out parade of some recruits of the Ghana Air Force at the Air Force Base of the Western Regional Capital, Takoradi. According to him, because he was in a hurry, he forgot to take along his professional identification (ID) card. While filming the event, a military man approached the journalist and asked him to produce his identity card. When he failed to produce it, the military man heckled him and took his camera from him. Even though Abaka was able to retrieve his camera shortly after that, he had to leave the event due to the embarrassment he suffered.

Another journalist Muftaw Mohammed, of privately-owned Metro FM, a radio station in the Ashanti regional capital Kumasi was on April 3 arrested and detained for taking pictures of some personnel from the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of Ghana Police Force, allegedly taking money from commercial drivers. Mohammed was held by the police and his iPad seized.

After two hours, the pictures he had taken of the MTTU officers on his iPad were deleted before he was released.
Earlier on March 10, Geoffrey Buta, a photographer of the state-owned newspaper The Ghanaian Times was also, assaulted by a military man in Tamale, in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Again a crew of privately-owned TV Africa was on March 7, detained by some security personnel at Adjei Kojo, a suburb of Accra. The crew had gone to the area to do a follow-up on a demolition exercise that was undertaken in the area.

The MFWA is concerned about the seeming lack of tolerance on the part of some section of the security agencies in Ghana towards journalists when they are discharging their professional duties. We call on the security agencies to recognise the important role the media plays in the democratic development of the country and accord them the necessary support and respect they deserve.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter @TheMFWA
Visit our Facebook page Media Foundation for West Africa

MFWA Celebrates Ruling of Africa’s Highest Court Re-affirming Journalists’ Rights

Vivian Affoah
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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) celebrates the seminal decision of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights on March 28, 2014, which strongly re-affirms the obligation of countries to protect the rights of journalists to practice free from intimidation and harassment.

The decision of the Arusha-based Court, which is the highest judicial body on the continent, also granted justice to the wife and family of celebrated anti-corruption Burkinabe Journalist, Norbert Zongo, who was murdered in 1998. Even though subsequent investigations into the murder of the journalist implicated some Burkinabe government and security officials, the family of the deceased had, until the March 28 verdict, been denied Justice.

The verdict followed a complaint filed at the Court by Genevieve Zongo, wife of the deceased journalist through the support of a multi-national legal team from Burkina Faso, Senegal, Tanzania and Nigeria.

“The court held that the failure of a government to diligently seek and bring to account the persons responsible for the assassination of a journalist, intimidates the media, has a chilling effect on free expression, violates the human rights of journalists, endangers truth and should not be allowed,” the Nigerian-based Guardian newspaper reported.

For several years, the MFWA and its partners, put pressure on the government of Burkina Faso to find and punish the killers of Zongo and the three others who were murdered in 1998. The MFWA subsequently named its periodic free expression review magazine Zongo-Giwa, in honour of Zongo and Dele Giwa another great Nigerian Journalist who was murdered in 1986.

The MFWA continues to commiserate with the family of all murdered journalists and commends Mrs. Zongo for her tenacity in the pursuit of justice. The MFWA also commends the team of lawyers who supported Zongo’s widow, for their commitment to the promotion of human rights and freedom of expression.

For further details on the history of the Norbert Zongo’s death, the Court case and decision see this report on the Court’s website.

Issued by the MFWA in Accra on April 7, 2014 

Togo ALERT: Journalist arrested for covering police activity

Vivian Affoah
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Pierre Dabla, managing editor of La Voix de la Nation, a privately-owned news website was on April 3, 2014, arrested and detained at the police post of the Hédjranawoé market (an area north-east of Lomé).

According to the MFWA’s correspondent, while he was reporting from the Hédjranawoé market, Dabla chanced upon some police officers seizing some goods at the market and decided to take pictures.

He was subsequently arrested, ordered to delete the pictures he had taken on his camera. His recorder was seized. He was held for about an hour before being released.

This new incident involving Dabla adds to the already long list of journalists whose rights have been abused by the security forces while they were discharging their professional duties.

The MFWA strongly condemns these repeated attacks on journalists and urges the Minister of Security and Civil Protection to take strong measures to ensure that journalists are free to perform their professional duties. We also call on the Minister to bring security personnel who violate the rights of journalists to book.

For more information please contact:
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Connect with us on:

Facebook  Media Foundation for West Africa

Twitter     @TheMFWA

Gambian ALERT: Interruptions in usage of mobile chat application

Vivian Affoah
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Less than a year after The Gambia passed a stiff information and communication law to stifle freedom of expression online, Gambians are reportedly experiencing interruptions in use of some mobile chat applications.

According to MFWA’s sources, for about a month, citizens who have been using Viber and other free applications such as FreePP and Line for making international calls and sending messages using the internet, have been complaining of interrupted calls whenever they make international calls.

While it is believed that this is being orchestrated by the country’s Ministry of Information Technology to prevent Gambians from informing friends and family oversees about the conditions in the country, others believe telecommunication companies in the country are behind it since people are no longer buying call credits for foreign calls.

Meanwhile Lamin Camara, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information Technology, has denied that the Gambian authorities are behind the blockage. He is reported to have said in an interview with The Standard newspaper in the country that“there are hiccups or technical faults with networks, and they want to blame it on government. I can tell you that there is nothing on the side of the government to block the service. ”

The MFWA is concerned about this development in The Gambia and urges the Ministry of Information Technology to liaise with the telecommunication companies to resolve the issue.

For more information please contact
Sulemana Braimah
Executive Director
MFWA
Accra
Tel: 233-0302-24 24 70
Fax: 233-0302-22 10 84

Follow us on Twitter                                     @TheMFWA

Visit our Facebook page                               Media Foundation for West Africa

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