July 2, 2004
Media Release
African Media Freedom Organisations and Nobel Prize Winner Prof. Wole Soyinka call upon the African Union for Media Freedom in Africa

“A nation develops through the liberal flow of ideas. Freedom of expression guarantees that flow and thus, the fullest development of the nation” says Professor Wole Soyinka

A delegation of CREDO for Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights, FAHAMU, International Federation of Journalists, Justice Initiative and Media Institute of Southern Africa - Supported by writer and Nobel prize winner Professor Wole Soyinka met with His Excellency, Professor Alpha Konare, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union July 1, 2004 to discuss the urgent need for legal and institutional framework for a conducive media environment in Africa.

The delegation called on African Union member countries to repeal all media legislation inconsistent with the Constitutive Acts of the Union and to begin process of adopting treaty level guarantees for media freedom.

The delegation urged that this process should begin urgently and within a given time as the lack of press freedom and freedom of expression is holding back the development of Africa on a democratic basis.

“In 2003, there were 170 reported cases of attacks on journalists and media houses by governments either through ‘legal’ and ‘judicial’ persecution or through harassment and intimidation by security agents.” Stated Rotimi Sankore Coordinator of CREDO. “Many more went unreported. In June 2004 the figure for reported violations of media freedom already stands at 102. If this trend continues, there may be well over 200 such cases by the end of 2004, an increase of almost 20% on last year. “

“Persistent official persecution, arbitrary harassment, and physical intimidation, make it impossible for the African media to collectively, effectively and freely serve as a platform for the dissemination of news and information, and as an avenue for debate, and expression of opinions and ideas - a process which is vital to the democratic, and socio economic development of Africa” emphasisied Luckson Chipare, Director of MISA.

Gabriel Baglo Director of the Africa office of the International Federation of Journalists noted that “The executive and judicial arms of several governments have already implemented reforms or made rulings that uphold media freedom. For instance, the Ghanaian legislature has repealed criminal defamation laws and a Ugandan High Court has recently ruled that “false news” laws used to persecute the media are inconsistent with good governance and democracy. Other African governments should be encouraged to follow these laudable examples within a given time frame.”

Last year, the group submitted a petition to His Excellency Amara Essy, the predecessor of H.E Alpha Konare, and to the incumbent Chairperson of the African Union His Excellency Thabo Mbeki. The petition was signed by over a hundred media and freedom of expression organizations, and dozens of individual campaigners from Africa and internationally and called for the repeal of legislation inconsistent with the African Unions Constitutive Acts, for the release of imprisoned journalists and reopening of media houses shut down by some African governments.

It was also presented to Chairperson Konare and through him, to the incoming Chairperson of the African Union in the context of the elaborate and commendable vision and mission of the African Union.

The delegation congratulated Chairperson Konare on the development of the vision, mission and strategic framework for the development of the African Union, and in particular the aspects that seek to further develop a wide range of rights issues in Africa.

In receiving the delegation, Chairperson Konare welcomed the initiative and acknowledged Professor Wole Soyinka’s contributions to freedom of Expression in Africa and the world. He also promised that in due course he would follow up on the groups urgent petition.

ENDS

Profiles and Contact Details

**The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is a dynamic, member-driven network of national chapters coordinated by a professional regional secretariat which seeks - through monitoring, training, capacity building, research and the distribution of information - to foster free independent and diverse media throughout southern Africa in the service of democracy and development, as stated in the Windhoek Declaration and the African Charter on Broadcasting.
**The Centre for Research Education & Development Of - [CREDO] - Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights is an international human rights organisation focusing on work in Africa. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO's work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly, political participation and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues, e.g. discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity.
**Fahamu is committed to supporting progressive social change in the South through using information and communication technologies. Fahamu believes that civil society organisations have a critical role to play in defending human rights, and that information and communication technologies can and should be harnessed for that cause. We are committed to enabling civil society organisations to use the Internet in the interests of promoting social justice.
**The IFJ is the worlds largest organisation of journalists and represents 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries. The IFJ promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice through strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists. In Africa, the IFJ works with its numerous affiliates and through its Media For Democracy in Africa Programme. It opposes discrimination of all kinds and condemns the use of media as propaganda or to promote intolerance and conflict; believes in freedom of political and cultural expression and defends trade union and other basic human rights; and works to improve conditions for independence of journalists and high standards of journalism in the African media.

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For further information contact the IFJ, IPC-Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium, tel: +32 2 235 22 00, fax: +32 2 235 22 19, e-mail: [email protected]; or MISA regional office in Namibia, 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Private Bag 13386, Windhoek, Namibia, tel. +264 61 232 975, fax: +264 61 248 016, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]; or CREDO International Office, 73-75 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD, UK, tel: +44 20 77875501, fax:+ 44 20 77875502, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]; or FAHAMU, 14 Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK, tel: +44 1 865 791777, fax: +44 1 865-203009, e-mail: [email protected]