IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE/ALERT - AFRICA

7 February 2002

RSF denounces press freedom violations by certain NEPAD member states

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2002 RSF press release:

NEPAD Meeting

Reporters Sans Frontières denounces violations of press freedom by some
Member States

In anticipation of the meeting of the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) at the Elysée Palace on February 8, 2002, Reporters Sans
Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) has addressed a letter to the
five heads of State in charge of the steering committee: Mr Abdelaziz
Bouteflika (Algeria), Mr Hosni Moubarak (Egypt), Mr Olusegun Obasanjo
(Nigeria), Mr Abdulaye Wade (Senegal) and Mr Thabo Mbeki (South Africa). RSF
wishes to draw their attention to repeated violations of freedom of the
press by several NEPAD Member States.

Although RSF cannot but wholeheartedly encourage a project aimed at
promoting "peace, security, democracy, good governance, human rights and
sound economic management", the organization considers that these goals
cannot be reached without the existence of a free press. It is not
realistic, for example, to try to fight corruption when journalists are
taken to task the moment they denounce fraud involving the authorities or
high-ranking officials. This initiative is doomed to failure if the Member
States are not exemplary in terms of freedom of information. And yet, in ten
of the fifteen nations that make up the NEPAD Heads of State and government
committee, journalists are being imprisoned, mistreated, attacked or
threatened, and there is media censorship.

In four countries, press freedom is not guaranteed. There are numerous
violations, which are never punished. In Burkina Faso, over three years
after the assassination of Norbert Zongo, director of the weekly
L'Indépendant, on December 13, 1998, the investigation is at a standstill.
Those who ordered the assassination are still at large and total impunity
reigns. The brother of the President of the Republic, François Compaoré,
strongly implicated in this affair, was heard for the first time by the
examining magistrate in January 2001, more than two years after the events.

In Ethiopia, despite relative improvement, a journalist is still being
detained after more than a year for having quoted the views of activists
interviewed by a foreign radio station in his newspaper. The audio-visual
industry still remains under state control.

In Rwanda, journalists are still being threatened and put under pressure,
and at least two have been in prison for several years, simply for doing
their jobs. Self-censorship is rife and journalists are unable to cover
certain subjects without inciting the wrath of the authorities. The
audio-visual industry is exclusively at the service of the government.

In Tunisia, the regime has continued to increase pressure on the few
journalists who are still doing their jobs as best they can, on the margins
of a press that is under the yoke of the authorities. The trial of Hamma
Hammami and his colleagues recently showed that the legal system is also at
the beck and call of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

For their part, the five heads of state promoting the NEPAD should be beyond
reproach in this area. It is up to them to lead the way in order to earn
credibility in the eyes of their people, the international community, and
Africa's economic partners. And, yet, even they are not exemplary.

Press freedom is still under fire in Algeria, where no investigation has
been carried out to find three journalists who were kidnapped by the
security forces between 1995 and 1997. In May 2001, the Algerian parliament
adopted draft amendments to the penal code, introducing harsher sentences
and fines for press offences. And at the beginning of 2002, three
journalists were questioned by the police following complaints lodged by the
Ministry of Defense.

In Egypt, the authorities continue to put pressure on journalists, and two
press professionals are currently in prison. In Nigeria, in less than a
year, seventeen journalists have been attacked, often by the police. In
Senegal, several recent attacks on journalists show that press freedom
remains fragile, and the authorities need to be particularly vigilant. In
the same way, in South Africa, where press freedom is globally respected,
several journalists have been brought before the legal authorities, who want
them to testify in criminal cases.

For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected] [2], Internet: http://www.rsf.fr [3]

The information contained in this press release/alert is the sole
responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts email: [email protected] [4] general e-mail: [email protected] [5]
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/ [6]
_________________________________________________________________