- NUSOJ Condemns Journalists’ Labeling by Al-Shabaab
- Journalists continue to be targeted in Somaliland
- Detention of Sub-Saharan African Refugees and Migrants in Libya
- Freedom for Kenyan activist charged over Uganda bombing
- UNESCO promotes freedom of expression ahead of elections in Liberia
- Chadian students to face trial over protest pamphlets
- Launch of the Report “Rolling Back Malaria: A Decade of Partnership and Results”
Plus more on Africa......
NUSOJ
Condemns Journalists’ Labeling by Al-Shabaab
The National Union of Somali journalists (NUSOJ) has on
September 13, 2011 condemned statement from a prominent cleric linked to the
leadership of Somali extremist group Al Shabaab, Sheikh Abdulqadir Muumin, for
labeling Somali journalists as “unbelievers” who had been “sentenced to death”.
Sheik Abdulqadir, while addressing Al Shabaab followers on
Saturday 10 September 2011, in Lower Shabelle region of Southern
Somalia, referred to local journalists as “unbelievers” and
discouraged the group’s followers not to listen to their radio broadcasts.
“You listen to the radio stations but they tell you lies,”
he said. “The journalists of BBC, VOA, Radio Mogadishu and other radio stations
are apostates and you are not allowed to listen to someone who is sentenced to
death,” Sheikh Abdulqadir added. He ardently and repeatedly told the militia’s
followers not to listen to all radio stations in Mogadishu including BBC Somali Service, VOA
Somali section and Radio Mogadishu.
NUSOJ Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman said the statement
constituted “a deadly threat to the journalists in Somalia and part of the attempts by
the militia to cow the media into silence”.
“Journalists in Somalia
will not be cowed by such deadly threats and intimidation and we urge them to
continue doing their work of informing the world about the atrocities being
perpetrated by the militia and other such terror groups in Somalia,” said Osman.
Al Shabaab militants often label anyone they want to kill
as “apostate”. Many journalists in Somalia
have been murdered by members of the militia, especially in Mogadishu in the past. Source: National Union of
Somali journalists (NUSOJ)
Journalists
continue to be targeted in Somaliland
Authorities in the semi-autonomous republic of Somaliland
are obstructing independent journalists from covering government politics, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said on September 13, 2011. Four reporters
have been harassed and arrested while on assignment since early September.
“Somaliland
authorities must end this crackdown on independent reporting,” said CPJ East
Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. “The government must stop harassing journalists
and uphold its campaign pledge made last year to support press freedom.”
On Saturday, officers of Somaliland
police Special Protection Unit in the capital, Hargeisa, prevented journalists
with the private press from covering the swearing-in ceremony of the new
interior minister, Mohamed Nur, local reports said. When reporter Saleban Abdi
Ali of the independent weekly Waheen began to protest, officers beat him with
the butt of their guns and detained him at the Hargeisa Central Police Station
for roughly four hours, local journalists said. Ali sustained light injuries.
On September 5, in Burao, Somaliland’s
second largest city, police arrested Waheen reporter Ahmed Muse and detained
him for a week without charge, local journalists said. Muse’s colleagues said
he was arrested because of a story he wrote on a purported dispute between
Yasin Mohamed, the Toghdeer region governor, and regional officials in the
sports ministry. Police also questioned reporter Mahad Abdullahi on September 5
over a similar report published in Ogaal, a Hargeisa-based weekly, according to
local reports. Authorities released Muse on bail from Burao prison on Sunday.
Abdullahi was released after several hours.
Also on September 5, police detained Waheen reporter Ali
Ismail in Borama town, northern Somaliland,
for several hours and released him without charge, local journalists said.
Ismail had attempted to investigate reports of the local government physically
removing the office doors of businesses who failed pay taxes.
Waheen has been targeted by the government before. In
January, Somaliland authorities sentenced
Waheen editor Mohamud Abdi Jama without bail for defamation and “spreading
false news” in a 2010 story alleging public corruption. Jama was granted a
presidential pardon the following month. Local journalists told CPJ they
suspected the arrest was an attempt to intimidate the newspaper. Source: Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Detention
of Sub-Saharan African Refugees and Migrants in Libya
A press statement from Victoria Nuland, US State Department
Spokesperson stated that the United
States is deeply concerned about reports of
arbitrary detention and abuse of sub-Saharan African migrants and refugees.
We also understand that some Libyans are also being
victimized based on the color of their skin. Nobody should be detained or
harassed due to the color of their skin or their nationality, and measures must
be taken to protect individuals from acts of violence.
We have welcomed the Transitional National Council’s (TNC)
assurances of their commitment to safeguard the well-being of individuals
throughout Libya and the TNC leadership’s cooperation with those international
agencies engaged in identifying and assisting those at risk and/or detained,
including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International
Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Organization for Migration.
We look forward to prompt implementation of these measures.
The United States
is working with its international partners to facilitate safe passage out of Libya
for those foreign nationals, including sub-Saharan African migrants, who wish
to depart for their own safety. Source: US Department of
State
Freedom
for Kenyan activist charged over Uganda bombing
The release of a Kenyan human rights activist held for a year
in connection with a bomb attack in Uganda is long overdue, Amnesty
International said on September 13, 2011.
The charges against NGO director Al-Amin Kimathi and four
other defendants were dropped today at the start of their trial.
Kimathi was arrested a year ago after he travelled to Uganda to observe the trial of six Kenyans
charged in connection with the July bomb attacks in Kampala, which killed 76 people who were
watching the 2010 World Cup final.
“It’s a relief that Al-Amin Kimathi has been released,
although it is long overdue,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s
Africa Deputy Programme director.
“The fact he was held for nearly a year without the
authorities ever producing any specific evidence against him strongly suggests
that the terrorism charges were simply a pretext to detain him for carrying out
his human rights work.”
Al-Amin Kimathi was detained, along with Kenyan lawyer
Mbugua Mureithi, on 15 September 2010 after the two travelled to Uganda
to observe the court hearing of six terror suspects.
Mureithi was released after three days and deported to Kenya.
Kimathi, head of the Muslim Human Rights Forum, was held incommunicado for six
days before being charged with terrorism and murder on 21 September.
He spent almost a year in pre-trial detention, during which
time the Ugandan authorities refused to provide him or his lawyers with any
evidence against him.
The trial of the 14 remaining defendants on charges in
connection with the bombings will go ahead in Kampala.
Over the past year, the Ugandan government has denied entry
to, and deported, several human rights activists and lawyers who travelled to Uganda
to monitor the case against Al-Amin Kimathi.
Authorities also restricted the work of human rights
organisations, including Amnesty International, in monitoring the treatment of
Kimathi while in detention. Prison authorities refused to allow Amnesty
International delegates’ access to Kimathi on four occasions.
The Muslim Human Rights Forum had challenged the legitimacy
of the transfer to Uganda
of several Kenyan suspects in the case.
“As it appears that no evidence has ever been, or will be,
presented to justify Al-Amin Kimathi’s detention, the Ugandan authorities must
ensure he has access to a prompt and effective remedy including compensation,”
said Michelle Kagari. Source: Amnesty
International
UNESCO promotes freedom of expression ahead of
elections in Liberia
As Liberia’s
second post-conflict legislative and presidential elections approach, the
Strengthening Freedom of Information in the Mano River States project, financed
by the Danish government and implemented by UNESCO, is striving to promote
freedom of expression in this troubled region.
A free press depends on universal access to information and
on the ability of media to operate independently. However, in Liberia, as a result of both logistical
difficulties and the absence of an engrained culture of transparency, access to
media and information is still limited: available mainly to people who live in
or near the capital, Monrovia.
Furthermore, the financial instability of the Liberian media industry means
that journalists lack the hardware, training opportunities and remuneration,
necessary to produce high quality journalism.
In cooperation with three partner organizations, the
Liberia Media Centre (LMC), the Centre for Media Studies and Peace Building
(CEMESP) and the Washington-based International
Center for Journalists
(ICFJ), as well as ICFJ’s International Knight Journalism Fellow, Luisa Handem
Piette, UNESCO is addressing these issues in a number of ways.
The Strengthening Freedom of Information in the Mano River
States project coordinates advocacy and sensitization campaigns for legislators
and journalists, increasing awareness of the importance of freedom of information.
This includes training workshops in conflict-sensitive, non-partisan election
and political reporting for journalists and media management mentoring schemes
for Liberian media outlets. As Director of LMC, Lawrence Randall explains, ‘the
project also incentivizes non-partisan journalism through the provision of
hardware for conducting interviews and capturing images, Internet access and a
free call for the exchange of election news and information’. Finally, this
initiative will ensure that comprehensive media monitoring takes place during
the October 2011 elections, providing an early warning system for conflict and
violence, and increasing the pressure on media owners and editors to ensure the
quality of their output.
In the words of Director of ICFJ’s Knight International
Journalism Fellowships, Elisa Tinsley, ‘the biggest challenge ahead of the
October 2011 elections is getting accurate and balanced information, mainly
through the radio, to the 75% of people who live outside of Monrovia’. Balanced
coverage can play an important role in ensuring free and fair elections.
Liberia has recently
become the first West African country to enact a Freedom of Information law.
Its media landscape is one ripe with possibilities for the future. Indeed,
UNESCO’s activities there provide an excellent opportunity to pilot initiatives
which may then be implemented in the wider Mano
River region (which encompasses Liberia, Sierra
Leone, Guinea
and Cote d’Ivoire).
With this in mind, a conference bringing together media
representatives, legislators and international experts is scheduled for the
next year. This will allow for an exchange of experiences as each of the
countries grapple with different issues related to freedom of information and
expression in post-conflict environment. Source: United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO
Chadian
students to face trial over protest pamphlets
Chadian authorities must immediately release two students
who have been held for four months for allegedly trying to organize pro-reform
protests, Amnesty International said on September 12, 2011 ahead of a fresh
court hearing this week.
Bebkika Passoua Alexis and Nedoumbayel Nekaou were arrested
in May at a bus station in the capital N’Djamena for allegedly carrying
documents calling for Chadians to organize demonstrations inspired by protests
earlier this year in Tunisia
and Egypt.
“If these students are being held merely on suspicion of
supporting peaceful protests, we would consider them to be prisoners of conscience
and they must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Erwin Van Der
Borght, Africa Programme Director at Amnesty International.
“Chadian authorities must carry out a full investigation
into allegations they were tortured in custody, and bring those responsible to
justice.”
The students were first arrested and detained incommunicado
by the Chadian security service before being transferred to the N’Djamena
central prison, where they are reportedly suffering from a contagious eye
disease and a serious skin disease.
The trial proceedings on the students’ case have been
postponed three times after National Security Agency officials failed to appear
in court to testify, and a new trial date has been scheduled for 15 September.
Chadian security services allegedly found two documents – A
letter to the youth and Enough is Enough – in their possession, which called
for young people to organize demonstrations against President Idriss Deby
Itno’s rule. The documents made references to the pro-reform protests that
resulted in leaders stepping down in Tunisia
and Egypt
earlier this year.
According to the N’Djamena Prosecutor’s Office, the two
students have been charged with a “provocation directly linked to an unarmed
demonstration.” Although no demonstration took place, if a court finds them
guilty they could still face up to six months in jail under Chadian law.
“We have seen copies of the documents in question and we
consider that the content would fall under what is permissible under the right
to freedom of expression. This is a blatant attempt by the authorities to
prolong the students’ detention using what appear to be politically motivated
charges,” said Erwin van der Borght.
“Chadian authorities must uphold its citizens’ freedom to
express opinions, even if they differ from those of the government.” Source: Amnesty International
Launch
of the Report “Rolling Back Malaria: A Decade of Partnership and Results”
The United Nations (UN) Decade to Roll Back Malaria in
Developing Countries, particularly in Africa,
established in 2001, will conclude this year.
In this context, the
Secretary-General, Banki Moon launched a report on 13th September,
2011 titled “A Decade of Partnership and Results”. A regional launch was also
held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi
on the same day, in cooperation with the Kenyan Ministry of Health.
The report takes stock of achievements and gives direction
to the anti-malaria community for the next five years. The report is the most
comprehensive document to date, providing robust, evidence-based calls for
action and outlining examples of remarkable achievements and lessons learnt. Source: UNITED NATIONS
No comments:
Post a Comment
The views expressed in this section are the authors' own. It does not represent The North Bank Evening Standard (TNBES)'s editorial policy. Also, TNBES is not responsible for content on external links.