Not a proud record - 21 Jun 2010
By Sindy Peters, Africa editor
Today we publish an article by Issa Sikiti da Silva on the plight of journalists around the world. In many countries journalists are harassed, intimidated, attacked and sometimes murdered, usually for exposing unsavoury details of corruption and other issues. The bad news, however, is that while at least 85 journalists were forced to flee their home countries in the face of attacks, threats and the possibility of imprisonment over the past 12 months, Africa accounts for 42 cases out of 85.
That is an abysmal record, and one of which no one on the continent should feel anything but shame.
The real shame, however, is that this situation is nothing new... Journalists have been targeted for decades for exposing corruption, maladministration, incompetence and crimes by those in authority in a number of African countries.
The good news is that of Lewis Medjo, editor of the weekly La Détente Libre. He was released from prison on 26 May 2010 - but again there is bad news ... contributors to his publication have been threatened.
When will this unjustified and illegal harassment of the media and its practitioners in Africa cease?
