Nigerien government threatens to revoke radio station’s licenses

By Mohammed Shardow

The Nigerien authorities on August 4, 2006 threatened to revoke the licenses of some independent FM radio stations for what they described as the stations “inciting civil war in the country”.

Prime Minister Hama Amadou who issued the threat at a press conference in Niamey failed to disclose the radio stations that would be affected.

According to Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)-Niger source Prime Minister Amadou explained that this decision by the government is as a result of the inability of the media regulatory body “Conseil Superieur de la Communication” (CSC), to apply severe sanctions on media houses.

“Some radio stations have openly called for civil war and as the CSC is not playing its role, government would take its responsibility by revoking the licenses of these stations,” he told journalists.

The Prime Minister’s threat contravenes Nigerien media law, (Law No 2006-24 of July 24, 2006), which empowers the CSC, an independent administrative authority, to revoke a radio station’s license in instances of professional and ethical violations.

The government in May 2005 closed down "Alternative FM", an independent radio station based in Niamey after it gave extensive coverage of civil society demonstrations to protest high cost of living. The station was however reopened on April 5, 2005 by a court, which declared the closure illegal.
Meanwhile there have been widespread condemnations of the threat by the country’s civil society organizations.

MFWA is deeply concerned by the government’s intolerance of critical media and the haste with which it issues threats at independent journalists.

We appeal to the Nigerien authorities to respect freedom of expression, especially press freedom which is guaranteed under the country’s constitution.

Abuse of free speech – a setback for African democracy

By Mohammed Shardow

The extent of press freedom in Ethiopia and Uganda vary quite widely, with Uganda showing greater gains in recent years than Ethiopia, Even then, events recently expose the weakness of press freedom gain in both countries.

What constitutes abuse of press freedom and free speech in Africa is virtually inexhaustible. It starts with arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions and killing of journalists.

In Ethiopia, journalists in the independent press are seen as a threat to the security of the state. Civil society groups are also a target. For instance protests by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy made up of opposition parties and civil society groups including teachers unions and NGOs have led to the death of more than 40 Ethiopians and endangered the lives of several independent journalists.

There are at least six journalists in jail who are threatened to face the death penalty under Ethiopian law. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said the journalists will face charges of treason punishable by death because of unsubstantiated allegations of their connections to the clashes between protesters and Ethiopian security forces, which occurred on November 1, 2005 after protests against alleged election fraud.

The state media have published the names and photographs of certain journalists and called on the public to assist the police to trace them . Following the announcement, many journalists have gone into hiding. Zenawi’s government is actively searching for at least 17 other journalists, publishers and editors, including the president of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association (EFJA), Kifle Mulat. Kifle is now somewhere in Africa unable to return home after attending a three- day meeting of Africa Free _Expression Organisations in Accra from October 28-30.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) hosted the conference, which was to intensify advocacy for freedom of _expression around the continent, and gave birth to the Network for African Free _Expression Organisation (NAFEO).

In Uganda, the independent Daily Monitor of Kampala reported that security agencies besieged its premises on October 10, where the company’s FM radio station is also located late in the night and supervised publication of the next day’s edition of the newspaper.

Police and military personnel also searched the newspaper’s premises and ordered all the Daily Monitor upcountry distribution vans to stop, thereby delaying distribution of the day’s newspaper.

According to the security agencies, their mission was to know the source of an advertiser’s announcements the Monitor published for the main opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to raise money for the defence of its imprison leader Dr Kizza Besigye.

The police action followed the government’s earlier threat to shut down the Daily Monitor newspaper and arrest political editor Andrew Mwenda over a story about the appointment of the Chief of Defence Forces. He is also facing sedition charges.

Such blatant disregard for fundamental human rights on the continent gave the impetus for collaboration such as NAFEO, which seeks to maximize the effectiveness of African free speech promoting organisations.

The Ethiopian situation could be the first specific case for NAFEO to grapple with. The network has sent a strong protest to Meles Zenawi reminding him of the universally accepted principle that allows the press to report freely on events in society without fear of persecution or restrictions.
The letter is not only timely but also refreshing as it urges the government to consider its actions, which could impact negatively on the credibility of the African Union, in which the network says “millions of Africans have invested their hopes for greater future”.

Again, NAFEO’s statement says the implications of the arrests and detentions of citizens and a crackdown on the media in Ethiopia would further worsen the future of the AU, which is already facing significant challenges. The statement also points out that the Ethiopian government should rather ensure that the moral leadership of the AU and the Executive Commission based in Addis Ababa are strengthened.

According to the statement, the Zenawi administration will be evading historical responsibility if it fails to release the detained journalists without conditions and also allow individual journalists to operate freely.

A little over a decade ago, there was an emergence of media pluralism all over Africa. But today, despite these improvements in the extension of frontiers of free expressions, there are increasing attacks on press freedom; in some cases aided by courts using civil defamation laws and outrageous damages.

Abuse of free speech – a setback for African democracy

By Mohammed Shardow

The extent of press freedom in Ethiopia and Uganda vary quite widely, with Uganda showing greater gains in recent years than Ethiopia, Even then, events recently expose the weakness of press freedom gain in both countries.

What constitutes abuse of press freedom and free speech in Africa is virtually inexhaustible. It starts with arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions and killing of journalists.

In Ethiopia, journalists in the independent press are seen as a threat to the security of the state. Civil society groups are also a target. For instance protests by the Coalition for Unity and Democracy made up of opposition parties and civil society groups including teachers unions and NGOs have led to the death of more than 40 Ethiopians and endangered the lives of several independent journalists.

There are at least six journalists in jail who are threatened to face the death penalty under Ethiopian law. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said the journalists will face charges of treason punishable by death because of unsubstantiated allegations of their connections to the clashes between protesters and Ethiopian security forces, which occurred on November 1, 2005 after protests against alleged election fraud.

The state media have published the names and photographs of certain journalists and called on the public to assist the police to trace them . Following the announcement, many journalists have gone into hiding. Zenawi’s government is actively searching for at least 17 other journalists, publishers and editors, including the president of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association (EFJA), Kifle Mulat. Kifle is now somewhere in Africa unable to return home after attending a three- day meeting of Africa Free _Expression Organisations in Accra from October 28-30.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) hosted the conference, which was to intensify advocacy for freedom of _expression around the continent, and gave birth to the Network for African Free _Expression Organisation (NAFEO).

In Uganda, the independent Daily Monitor of Kampala reported that security agencies besieged its premises on October 10, where the company’s FM radio station is also located late in the night and supervised publication of the next day’s edition of the newspaper.

Police and military personnel also searched the newspaper’s premises and ordered all the Daily Monitor upcountry distribution vans to stop, thereby delaying distribution of the day’s newspaper.

According to the security agencies, their mission was to know the source of an advertiser’s announcements the Monitor published for the main opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to raise money for the defence of its imprison leader Dr Kizza Besigye.

The police action followed the government’s earlier threat to shut down the Daily Monitor newspaper and arrest political editor Andrew Mwenda over a story about the appointment of the Chief of Defence Forces. He is also facing sedition charges.

Such blatant disregard for fundamental human rights on the continent gave the impetus for collaboration such as NAFEO, which seeks to maximize the effectiveness of African free speech promoting organisations.

The Ethiopian situation could be the first specific case for NAFEO to grapple with. The network has sent a strong protest to Meles Zenawi reminding him of the universally accepted principle that allows the press to report freely on events in society without fear of persecution or restrictions.
The letter is not only timely but also refreshing as it urges the government to consider its actions, which could impact negatively on the credibility of the African Union, in which the network says “millions of Africans have invested their hopes for greater future”.

Again, NAFEO’s statement says the implications of the arrests and detentions of citizens and a crackdown on the media in Ethiopia would further worsen the future of the AU, which is already facing significant challenges. The statement also points out that the Ethiopian government should rather ensure that the moral leadership of the AU and the Executive Commission based in Addis Ababa are strengthened.

According to the statement, the Zenawi administration will be evading historical responsibility if it fails to release the detained journalists without conditions and also allow individual journalists to operate freely.

A little over a decade ago, there was an emergence of media pluralism all over Africa. But today, despite these improvements in the extension of frontiers of free expressions, there are increasing attacks on press freedom; in some cases aided by courts using civil defamation laws and outrageous damages.

Many experience change of heart about the Black Stars

By Mohammed Shardow

After the disappointing performance of the senior national team, the Black Stars, in the January‘s Africa Cup of Nations competition in Egypt the country was in an uproar. Some Ghanaian fans were eager to sack the Serbian Coach Ratomir, then the Black Stars were an issue that divided the country.

Almost six months later, the Black Stars have united the country in a common purpose. Keep Doya, as they popularly called him. Both sides of the divide have lost their leaders as well as their opinion that, the for and against have. Whether it is the Media, or the supporters of the team, everyone has lost their opinion.

Coming out of the four successful friendly games undefeated and the three World Cup games with only one loss the Ghana Black Stars team speaks of confidence. The team is confident not only because of the return of Sulley Ali Muntari, Michael Essien and Asamoah Gyan, three talented players who missed the January continental campaign, but also because of an inspiring play from some unexpected sources.

One such source is Richard Kingston, who made it to the finals at the expense of young and agile Philemon McCarthy who had been with the team throughout the qualifying games. Kingston, according to some media reports had been adjudged the second best goalkeeper of the tournament. He was not part of the original team that qualified the nation to world cup or a member of the team that played in Egypt. When he was 18-years old he gain invaluable international experience when he went to the Atlanta Olympic Games as part of the Ghana squad, which reached the quarterfinals. He played along side players such as Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.

“Kingston experience will give him the poise to play against top level opponent like Brazil as he demonstrated in the Italy game”, says Andrews Kwesi Baah a Tema based soccer fan.
“It's a tremendous feeling. Of course we can beat Brazil, we've come here to win the Cup” said Kingston “We're not scared of that. Everyone back home in Ghana is ecstatic and celebrating. We're representing all of Africa, so everyone should join in the party”.

Another Black Stars standout is Haminu Dramani, described by the FIFA Website as a “dangerous winger,” who came onto the international stage last year from Kpando Hearts of Lion. Indeed Dujkovic’s decision to add Dramani to the Black Star roster has served as vindication for the Serbian, who was seriously criticized by sections of the media. This young star came on as one of the replacements for Gyan and Muntari, who were ineligible for the game. He scored Ghana’s opener in the 22nd minute. Dramani, Gyan and other youngsters are vying for the coveted Gillette Best Young Player award.

"I'm happy for him. That's the kind of win that helps you get your confidence back," Baah said.

Young defenders like Shila Illiasu and Mohammed Habib, two of the four locally based players who made it to Germany. The two replaced Samuel Osei-Kufour and Emmanuel Addoquaye Pappoe. And were instrumental in the victory over the Czech Republic to avenge an earlier loss to the Azures of Italy, as young Gyan and Muntari knocked off the second best club as rated by the world football body.

At the time when Coach Dujkovic was using the friendly games as for fine-tuning the Black Stars lineup. "I wasn’t sure of our chances, especially the caliber of our team as compared to the others” Baah noted.

Baah who until the last the two games was ardent critic of Coach Doya said, his original idea of introducing Samuel Osei-Kufour together with John Mensah, Emmanuel Addoquaye Pappoe and John Painstil at the rear is a possibility in the absence of Essien in the crucial match against the Brazilians. Although he admits Kufour is not in the best of form.

Mathew Amoah is another Black Star striker who has played well despite failure to deliver the much-expected goals. In the Czech game, his pass from the right wing to Gyan resulted in the first ever penalty kick of the Stars.
The Stars next encounter is tomorrow at Dortmund against the reigning World Cup Champions, Brazil.

While four days may seem like ample time to prepare for the match, this is not necessarily the case. "We don't really have that much time to get ready for it. The most important thing is to keep playing hard,” Baah said.

Ghana ruling party's scribe "orders" assults on a journalist

Editor mad..............

By Mohammed Shardow

Dickson Gblogbor, a reporter of “The Enquirer”, an Accra based independent bi-weekly newspaper was on July 25, 2006 allegedly assaulted by a personal assistant of Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary, of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the party’s headquarters.

The personal assistant is also alleged to have squeezed Gblogbor’s male organs.

Gblogbor told Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) that when he went to the party headquarters to crosscheck certain information, Ohene Ntow ordered his personal assistant to conduct a search on him, to find out if he had hidden a tape recorder. He said, Ohene Ntow told him that he could not trust “The Enquirer” because, he claimed the newspaper had a history of carrying out secret recordings.

The reporter said, following a request from the General Secretary, he surrendered his recorder and personal cellular phone.

“He asked one of his men to search me and in the search process my male organs were squeezed several times”

“I then began sweating profusely and people in the office, about eight in number including four young ladies burst into laughter”.

Ohene Ntow has however denied the allegations. He told “JOY FM”, an Accra-based independent radio station that he authorized his personal assistant to conduct a search but denied that, it violated the human rights of the reporter.

The journalist intends to make a formal complaint to the regulatory body, the National Media Commission (NMC).

Meanwhile, NMC and the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) have both condemned the alleged harassment of Gblogbor.