WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY– May 3 2004

“Repeal of all anti-media laws in Africa vital to democracy, stability and development” - CREDO

On the occasion of world press freedom day 2004, CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights emphasises the importance of press freedom and freedom of expression to democracy, stability and development.

While agreeing with UNESCO’s global theme of conflict as a serious threat to the media, CREDO’s Coordinator Rotimi Sankore stated “it is important to pay attention to the causes as well as the consequences of conflict. A significant cause of conflict in many countries is a lack of the freedoms of expression, association, assembly and political participation.”

“In this context the greatest threat to the media and individual journalists in Africa remains the legal and institutional framework for media law and practice. Criminal defamation laws, sedition and insult laws, absence of freedom of and access to information, illegal licensing of media outlets and journalists, and systematic intimidation is still being used to attack the media, undermine democracy and pave the way for conflict which in turn, further endangers the media.”

In the past 12 months, there have been two hundred and forty known cases of attacks on the media and journalists in Africa. In other words, the media in Africa suffers an attack from the authorities, security agents or powerful interests every one and half days. This state of affairs is disgraceful, a threat to democracy and simply cannot be allowed to continue.

In the last quarter alone, journalists have been imprisoned on defamation and related charges in several countries including Côte d'Ivoire, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Benin. In February, the Zimbabwean Supreme Court upheld legislation that allows the government to decide who works as a journalist and criminalises those not approved by the government. In January the Kenyan authorities embarked on a mass seizure of tens of thousands of copies of so called illegal publications and in Eritrea ten journalists remain in jail for the third year.

Sankore pointed out that “the absurdity of the situation is that as African governments profess to move away from their colonial past through building institutions such as the African Union, the instruments of repression introduced by colonial governments are still being used and in some case even being re-introduced to suppress press freedom and free speech.”

“While some progress has been made in countries such as Ghana and Tanzania, many other countries continue to fall well below standards established by international law and the aspirations of the African Union. The situation must improve if the cycle of instability and conflict in many countries is to end”

Ends

For further information contact CREDO at:

73-75 Newington Causeway, SE1 6BD London

Tel: 44 (0) 207 7875501

Tel: 44 (0) 207 7875502

Email: Media - m e d i a @ credonet.org (remove spaces)

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