Cameroon: Journalist arrested after questioning authorities

Since pro-democracy demonstrations erupted in North Africa and the Middle East earlier this year, the authorities of a 28-year old regime in Cameroon have been on alert and ready to stifle any Egypt-style uprising. On 23 February, government forces ruthlessly clamped down on a small group of peaceful protesters in Cameroon's economic capital. This brutal crackdown was closely followed by the suspension of twitter-mobile - an instrumental tool in the fight for democracy and human rights around the world. More recently, state agents reportedly arrested two employees of Pamol Plantations Plc, a palm oil producing company, as the employees transported 150 youths from the North region to work in palm tree plantations in the southwest region of Cameroon (perhaps the authorities thought the youths were being transported to "Tahrir" square to demand the removal to the regime). The [arbitrary] arrest of two employees of Pamol led to the arrest of a local journalist - after questioning the authorities about arrests.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Lamissia Adolarc, a Cameroonian journalist based in Ngaoundere, capital of the Adamawa region of Cameroon, was arrested on 30 March 2011 on the orders of the governor of Adamawa - Enow Abraham Egbe. Adolarc was arrested for inquiring about the arrest of two Pamol employees accused of "fomenting a rebellion against the government."

It is no secret that events in the Arab world and North Africa have put longstanding repressive regimes on edge. But rather than arrest unsuspecting citizens in a bid to silence dissenters and stifle possible calls for democracy and respect for human rights, regimes with poor human rights records should implement reforms and respect the fundamental freedoms of all citizens.

The arrest of a journalist for doing his job is unnecessary and has no place in a free society.

CPJ has called for the immediate release of detained Lamissia Adolarc.

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Théophile Kouamouo: Arrested for publishing Corruption Report in Ivory Coast

A message calling my attention to the arrest and detention of a leading French-speaking African blogger - Théophile Kouamouo in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), was disheartening. On 13 July 2010, Théophile Kouamouo and two other journalists were arrested for publishing an article about alleged corruption in the cocoa and coffee trade sector in Côte d'Ivoire.

According to Global Voices, Théophile Kouamouo, a French citizen of Cameroonian origin, was arrested alondside two other journalists - Saint Claver Oula and Stéphane Guédé - all working for "Le Nouveau Courrier", a new news daily launched on 25 May 2010, on the orders of the Public Prosecutor - Raymond Tchimou Fehou.

The published corruption report contained details of the findings of the Prosecutor's investigation into corruption, including fraud, misappropriation, embezzlement, forgery, you name it, in the cocoa and coffee sector. Théophile Kouamouo and his colleagues were arrested, questioned and detained after refusing to reveal the source of the published information. On the morning of the arrest, plainclothes policemen allegedly stormed and searched the office of "Le Nouveau Courrier" without a search warrant.

It is worth  noting that Côte d'Ivoire is party to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 19 of the ICCPR clearly states that: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice." It therefore goes without saying that the state has an obligation to guarantee freedom of expression within its borders.

Théophile Kouamouo and his colleagues at "Le Nouveau Courrier" were arrested, questioned and detained for simply expressing views on the findings of an investigation into embezzlement in the cocoa and coffee sector. This, no doubt, is a violation of Article 19 of the ICCPR.

The Prosecutor seems to be unaware of the fact that Article 1 of the Code of Ethics for Ivorian Journalists, provides that journalists have the right to protect their information sources.  Arguably, by refusing to reveal their sources, Théophile Kouamouo and his colleagues demonstrated commendable professionalism and adherence to "house rules." Does adherence to a code of ethics constitute a crime?

You would agree that the arrest and detention of  journalists undermines human rights and the fundamental right to freedom of expression in Côte d'Ivoire and beyond. The arrest of Théophile Kouamouo and his colleagues is in line with a systematic crackdown on freedom of expression and freedom of press in many African countries. In April, a journalist, Germain Ngota, died under mysterious circumstances behind bars in Cameroon; in Egypt, a young blogger - Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman is still in jail for expressing his views.

Should journalists, reporters and writers be arrested for seeking, receiving and imparting information?

Théophile Kouamouo and his colleagues have been deprived of liberty since 13 July, awaiting charges of "theft of administrative documents." In the interest of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, the journalists should be released unconditionally.

Help secure the release of Théophile Kouamouo by signing this online petition.

UPDATE (26 July 2010): Thanks to a coordinated public outcry, all three journalists have been released, following a trial on 26 July 2010. However, the newspaper, Nouveau Courier, has been suspended for 15 days and slammed with a fine of 5 million CFA francs. Speaking out against human rights violations can make all the difference.

*Photo: Global Voices.

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Stop killing Ahmadis in Pakistan

The Ahmadis, are members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The Ahmadis believe they are Muslims, but orthodox Muslims think otherwise. This is the case because the Ahmadis do not believe that the Prophet Mohammed was the final prophet; they believe that the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community - Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1839–1908), was the "Awaited One", foretold by Prophet Mohammed. In other words, the Ahmadis do not believe in the "finality of prophethood." It follows. therefore, that in Pakistan, the Ahmadis make up a religious minority community. They face untold discrimination, persecution and killings - simply because their belief is considered to be flawed. In Pakistan, Ahmadis are up against threats, violence and killings, engineered by Islamist extremists. The Pakistani government should take immediate steps to stop the killing of Ahmadis.

According to Human Rights Watch - on 28 May 2010, Islamist extremist militants attacked two Ahmadiyya mosques -Baitul Nur Mosque and Darul Zikr mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. The attack left 94 people dead and many injured. On 30 May 2010, militants attacked an Intensive Care unit - where the victims of the previous attack were being treated. This time, 12 people were killed - mostly police and hospital staff.

No natural person should be killed or face persecution threats and violence, because of religious views. The killing of Ahmadis in Pakistan, and the impunity surrounding the killings, should be stopped by the government. Repeated attacks and threats against the Ahmadis, highlight religious intolerance in Pakistan, as well as the government's failure to bring perpetrators to justice.

It is worth mentioning that laws in Pakistan are discriminatory against religious minorities, and legalize persecution of Ahmadis. The Penal Code, for example, prohibits anyone from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim.” This, in my mind, targets the Ahmadis - who profess to be Muslims.

In Pakistan, blasphemy is a capital crime, punishable with a death penalty! As mentioned earlier, the Ahmadis believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the "Awaited one". In Pakistans, this belief is considered to be blasphemous. Consequently, numerous Ahmadis are charged under the Blasphemy Law and jailed.

It is true, that by failing to stop the killing of Ahmadis, prosecute perpetrators and repeal the repugnant Blasphemy Law - that discriminates against Ahmadis, the government of Pakistan has "emboldened the extremists" in Pakistan and worldwide.

Photo by CharlesFred

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Swedish-Eritrean Prisoner of Conscience in Eritrea

On May 3 every year, activists, media and rights groups worldwide celebrate World Press Freedom Day and remind governments of their obligation to respect freedom of expression - a fundamental human right. This right is enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, many states have failed in their duty to respect the right of freedom of expression. This explains why, today, there are millions of people imprisoned worldwide simply because their political or religious views are considered to be flawed. Many are prisoners of conscience and most of them have never been charged with any crime. This is the story of Dawit Isaac, an Eritrean-Swedish prisoner of conscience. On Monday 3 May, 2010 (World Press Freedom Day), rights and media groups in Sweden called on the European Union (EU) to take action to secure his release.

According to Amnesty International, prisoners of conscience are:

"men, women and children imprisoned solely for the peaceful expression of their beliefs or because of their race, gender or other personal characteristics."

Dawit Isaac is imprisoned in Eritrea for the "peaceful expression" of his beliefs. He is an Eritrean-Swedish author, playwright and journalist who has been in jail since September 2001 in Eritrea. As if this is not enough, he has never been charged. Isaac owned the now-banned weekly newspaper - Setit and was arrested on 23 September 2001, together with eight other journalists, during a massive state-sponsored crackdown on private press. He has long "disappeared" in custody!

On Monday, rights groups in Sweden called on the EU to "gradually halt" aid to Eritrea, until the Eraeiro prison - a "death camp" where Isaac is said to be held, is shut down, inmates released and given medical attention and an open trial.

Some have argued that halting aid to Eritrea, in a bid to secure the release of a prisoner of conscience, is a step too far - but there is no denying that a crackdown on journalists in Eritrea represents a threat to democracy and the fundamental right of freedom of expression.

It is worth mentioning that the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights ruled on May 2007 that the arrest and imprisonment of journalists in Eritrea - including Dawit Isaac, was unlawful and called on the Eritrean government to release and compensate the detainees. However, the journalists remain jailed. This is a testament to the government's defiance of international law.

Although Eritrea recalled its ambassador to the African Union (AU) in November 2009, the government is still bound by the decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. This is the case because the decision was handed down before the recall. It is interesting to note that relations between the government of Eritrea and the AU was severed after the AU called on the United Nations security Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on Eritrea.

The UNSC Resolution 1907 imposed targeted sanctions on Eritrea - including asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo, for aiding rebels in Somalia. More targeted sanctions from the EU, as requested by Swedish media groups, would bring more pressure to bear on Eritrea and secure the release of the Eritrean-Swedish prisoner of conscience and his colleagues.

Take action to secure Isaac's release here.

Photo of Dawit Isaac and cartoon - courtesy of The Local and WAN-IFRA/Cambon respectively.

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Freedom is not Free!

Freedom is defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary as the quality or state of being free. It is the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action. Freedom also refers to liberation from slavery or restraint, or from the power of another. It means independence. It is worth mentioning that the word "freedom has a broad range of application and it's a very strong word.

All across the world, people want to be free. People want to be free from financial, economic, political or social restraint. Needless to say, freedom has a price and not everybody is willing to pay the price. If you want to be free, you must be willing and ready to pay the price for freedom. The question that arises here is, what do you want to be free from?

If you ask me the same question, I would tell you I want to be free from financial restraint. I want to be free from the restraints of having to work for money (that's why I do what I do). I understand I'm not free until I'm able to do what I want to do, when we want to do it and with whom we want to do it. Unfortunately, many of us are constrained by jobs and we don't really have a choice. We're not free! Whether you understand this or not, you have to realise that in order to be free you must be able to make money work for you or set up a system that generates income for you so that you'd have the time and freedom to do what you really want to do. You sincerely don't want to go to work, but you HAVE to. True or false? Unfortunately you MUST go to work in order to pay the bills. Are you free? The answer is NO.

You might argue that money is not everything. I perfectly agree with you. Life is not all about money. But, tell me something on earth that money does not affect. Money influences the school you and your kids go, the car you drive, the house you live in, the food you eat, you name it. The bottom line is, money is important but many people are in denial. Until we learn to have money work for us, we'd be constrained to work for money until old age renders us incapable.

My favorite song is about freedom. The song never fails to inspire me to get out there and fight for my freedom. It's a song by Akon entitled FREEDOM. You've probably listened to it before but take a listen again and pay particular attention to the lyrics:



Many of us enjoy good music but very few of us pay close attention to the lyrics. In case you missed the lyrics, FREEDOM by Akon is the story of a boy who left Senegal, West Africa for the United States in search for freedom. He had a talent in playing drums so he took along his drum and one other thing - a dream. He knew the world was up for grasp so he searched to find his freedom.

Freedom remains an illusive concept for many people but you can gain your freedom if you know what you want and you're ready to pay the price. Make no mistake about it, freedom is not free. That said, make sure you don't stop till you find you're freedom!

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