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CPJ Urges AU
Heads to Uphold Press Freedom
Worried by the deteriorating media environment in Africa, the New
York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has written to
President Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African Union
Commission calling on the AU to actively defend and uphold press freedom
across the continent and strengthen AU institutions dedicated to
supporting press freedom, including the African Commission on Human and
Peoples' Rights and the African Peer Review Mechanism.
In the
letter dated January 30, 2008 signed by its Executive Director, Joel
Simon, CPJ asked him to remind states of their obligation to uphold
press freedom as part of their membership in the Union.
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President
Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
CPJ
disclosed that its ongoing research documenting global press freedom
conditions reveals a worrying pattern of deteriorating press freedom in
sub-Saharan Africa, including in AU member states which were heralded
for holding recent democratic elections. It added that 10 journalists
were killed in Africa in connection with their work in 2007, the highest
number since 1999.
It named
three nations: Ethiopia, the Gambia, and the Democratic Republic of
Congo as being among the places worldwide where press freedom has
deteriorated the most over the last five years, as revealed by its 2007
study. This is in spite of the countries being signatories to the
African Charter on Human and People's Rights and having constitutional
guarantees for press freedom as well as democratically elected leaders
with Western support with the Gambia and Ethiopia hosting offices of the
AU in their capitals.
The organization said that in these countries, elections were followed
by a crackdown on the media, noting that government repression of the
independent press in Ethiopia and the Gambia forced dozens of
journalists into exile while the murder of four journalist and a pattern
of government abuses were carried out with total impunity in the DRC
following the 2006 elections.
CPJ expressed particular concern over the press freedom records of
Eritrea, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
The group noted that though the 2002 Declaration of Principles on
Freedom of Expression in Africa, the African Commission on Human and
People's Rights, the 2004 appointment of a special rapporteur on freedom
of expression and the African Peer Review Mechanism were all encouraging
signs of the AU's efforts to uphold press freedom, yet as special
rapporteur Faith Pansy Tlaluka told CPJ in 2006, the challenge remains
whether "freedom of expression is going to be a priority." It added that
as Tlaluka informed CPJ, her office was hamstrung by limited staff and
financial resources, it has no power to issue binding judgments, and
recommendations are often poorly received or ignored.
CPJ also reminded President Konare that AU member states are signatories
of Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and
that most of these countries have constitutions that guarantee press
freedom but regretted that these guarantees are not effective on their
own.
It urged the AU to give press freedom the importance it deserves in
light of its mandate to promote good governance and democracy, adding,
“AU member states must uphold their commitments and allow the media in
their countries to operate freely, without fear of reprisal.”
It said by guaranteeing freedom of expression and freedom of the press,
the AU can help ensure democracy and stability across the continent.
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