KAMPALA: JOURNALISTS DECRY HARASSMENT AND ABUSES, COMMIT TO DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS

EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS NETWORK
Press Statement

EHAHRDN Index: UGA 035/008/2006 (Public)

29th November 2006

A three day sub-regional Journalists’ Conference concluded today at the Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe, Uganda, with a call from journalists to their governments in the sub region to respect and uphold media freedom.

The Conference attracted 40 men and women journalists from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan including South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. It was organized by the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) and provided training and discussions about human rights reporting, and supporting each other as human rights defenders. It was facilitated by Amnesty International, Article 19, Frontline, Peace Brigade International, and the Human Rights House Foundation Network, among others.Journalists shared experiences and ideas on a wide range of human rights and security issues not only affecting them as individuals, but also the profession. They included among others: torture, threats to their lives, self censorship, laws aimed at restricting and deterring journalists’ work, detention, unfair trials and confiscation of publications.

Whereas the journalists commended the relative press freedom in Uganda, Tanzania and Somaliland, the situation of the press described in other countries was of great concern.

Eritrea has kept over 16 journalists behind bars since 2001, when the entire private press was banned, and nine more state-media journalists were very recently detained and held without charge. Ethiopia also has 16 journalists on trial on false charges of instigating violence, which could carry the death penalty. Dozens of Somali journalists have been arrested in the past two years, but all were freed after vigorous campaigning by local and international media groups.

At the end of the conference, participants committed themselves to increase their reporting on human rights issues and human rights violations, and to support and protect fellow men and women journalists in their defense of human rights.

They called upon the governments and authorities of East and Horn of Africa sub-region to respect and protect freedom of the press. The final conference resolution included the following:

• Express support for women journalists facing gender discrimination and encourage reporting on women’s rights issues

• Demand that the governments in the sub region release all detained journalists and end unlawful acts against freedom of press by law enforcement bodies.

• Request reform of all laws, which curtail freedom of opinion, information and the media.

• Appeal to the Eritrean government to accept a delegation of journalists from the sub-region to visit detained journalists “disappeared” for five years.

• Call upon the UN Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the African Union Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression to conduct a fact-finding mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea; and to propose concrete actions against governments that decline to cooperate or decline to implement the international and regional instruments on freedom of expression which they have ratified, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

• Urge the international community and donors to support journalists and their associations and unions in the sub-region, and to strongly advocate for their media rights and freedoms, and civil rights and liberties.

• Appeal to the UN, African Union (AU), League of Arab States (LAS) and Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to restrain governments and authorities in the sub-region from their growing acts of intolerance of freedom of expression.For further information, please contact:
Tumusiime Kabwende DeoPress Officer
Mobile: +256-712-075721
Regional Coordination Office
EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS PROJECT (EHAHRDP) Human Rights House, Plot 1853, Lulume Rd., Nsambya P.O. Box 11027 Kampala, Uganda Phone: +256-41-510263(general)/ext.112 +256-41-267118(direct) Fax: +256-41-267117 E-mail: ehahrdp@yahoo.ca, hshire@yorku.ca