Journalists Intimidated Across the Commonwealth

A recent worrying spate of arrests and attacks on members of the media in various countries of the Commonwealth has brought the issue of freedom of expression – or rather the lack of it – into the foreground. Most incidents can be viewed as intimidation tactics and extreme attempts at censorship. It’s unfortunate to note that the very institutions that are meant to protect the journalists in the performance of their duty are often the very ones who are guilty of obstructing them.

In Uganda, radio talk show host and journalist Andrew Mwenda risks facing up to 5 years in jail after being accused of sedition following remarks made during a radio programme that Government incompetence led to the 30 July 2005 crash of the Ugandan Presidential helicopter. The programme dealt with the recent air crash in which Sudan’s former First Vice-President and Southern Sudanese Leader John Garang together with seven Ugandan crew members were killed. The Ugandan Broadcasting Council suspended the licence of K-FM Radio on the 11 August 2005 following the radio programme and Mwenda was arrested the following day. On the 15 August 2005 he was charged with sedition and was subsequently released on bail. The arrest of Mwenda comes at a time when the Ugandan Government is being accused of trying to intimidate the independent press by means of official threats. Just one day before the closing down of K-FM radio, President Yoweri Museveni had threatened to shut down any news media considered to be compromising on regional security.

A similar incident occurred in Cameroon where the Editor of Le Front, Joseph Bessale Ahanda, was detained on the 6 July 2005 after he accused the head of the Postal Service and the owner of a press group of embezzlement. The reports were effective enough to lead to the dismissal of the head of the Postal Service - yet Ahanda was inexplicably arrested as a consequence. He was later released on the 21 July 2005, after journalists went to the Justice Ministry to ask for his release. He is currently awaiting trial concerning his reports.

The world of journalism was further dismayed following the murders of the popular Tamil journalist Relangi Selvarajah, her husband Senathurai Selvarajah and their ten month old baby in Sri Lanka. Unidentified assailants gunned down the couple on the 12 August 2005. Suspicion has been cast upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who, on their part, are denying any connection with the murders. Meanwhile, many international journalist federations are calling for an immediate and thorough inquiry to take place.

Three photographers were hospitalised and another six were injured after security agents in Dhaka, Bangladesh assaulted them on 8 July 2005. The incident erupted when a photographer attempted to photograph graffiti, which accused the government of corruption. He was prevented from doing so by security agents and was beaten up in the process.

This incident follows another incident in May when the police while covering student riots attacked six photographers. In another episode, police beat a journalist after being denied entry to a ruling party office.

Practising the profession of journalism has become a dangerous affair. Freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed needs to be defended by all means and, as a consequence, journalists should be given all the necessary protection they can get when performing their duties and in their day-to-day lives.

The position of journalists in several countries has been aggravated by recent episodes where governments are using the excuse of national security to censor and intimidate journalists. Do governments really expect a situation where they are never criticised by the free press? The concept of the rule of law, so prominent in the Harare Principles, is strengthened by independent and serious journalism. Attacks of any sort on the institution of journalism are, therefore, also an attack on those very principles, that the Commonwealth is based upon.