NGO’s lament media freedom violations in Africa

The Forum on the Participation of NGO’s in the 49th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (AHPR) on 27 April 2011 adopted recommendations to deal with violations of media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa.

The recommendations were adopted in Banjul, The Gambia, during the NGO Forum’s three-day session chaired by MISA-Zimbabwe Legal Officer Jacqueline Chikakano and attended by journalists and representatives of various media groups from The Gambia, Angola, Rwanda and Egypt.
 
Delegates thus resolved and recommended that the Commission should:
 

  1. Enhance its mechanisms to protect the right to Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in light of the non-implementation of past resolutions made by the Commission considering that 30 years have since passed following the signing of the African Charter.
  2.  Put in place strong and effective measures that will bring to an end continued violations against Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, especially in  Zimbabwe, Uganda, Egypt, Rwanda and The Gambia.
  3. Strongly condemn the use of restrictive media, military and state of emergency and exceptional laws that limit Freedom of Expression and Access to Information. State parties should be  urged to replace such laws with those that conform with international human rights laws and treaties.
  4. Denounce the continued violation of the citizen’s right to Freedom of Expression, Assembly and Association, as happened through the use of violence and violence against peaceful protesters in Swaziland, Tunisia, Angola, Egypt, Uganda and Libya.
  5. Call upon member states to immediately ensure the protection and safety of journalists and media workers everywhere on the continent.

The recommendations will be forwarded to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (the Commission) for its consideration and further action. //End//


 
Reagan Malumo
Programme Specialist: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht St
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Mobile: +264 81 311 2626
Official Email: reagan(@)misa.org
Private Email: reagan32002(@)yahoo.com

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