2 November 1999
Volume 08 - 1999 Issue 42 (02 November 1999)
International
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced the winners of its 1999 International Press Freedom Awards whom it will honour on 23 November in New York City, United States (US). The winners include Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández of Cuba, Baton Haxhiu of Kosovo, Jugnu Mohsin and Najam Sethi of Pakistan, and María Cristina Caballero of Colombia. CPJ states, "The awards not only honour these five courageous journalists who faced jail, physical harm and even death, simply for doing their work, they shine light on the enemies of press freedom and democracy in many areas of the world." Executive Producer of "60 Minutes" Don Hewitt will also be recognised with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for "a lifetime of distinguished achievement in the cause of press freedom."
International
As the leaders of the Commonwealth countries prepare to meet this month in South Africa, ARTICLE 19 urges them to audit Cameroon's status as one of its newest members. ARTICLE 19 documents a litany of abuses in Cameroon since it joined the Commonwealth in its recent report, "Hollow Promises, Freedom of Expression in Cameroon since 1995." Charging that the Commonwealth has turned "a blind eye to official abuses of power by one of its newest members," ARTICLE 19 now calls on its members to "lead the international community in assisting... [the Cameroonian government] ...to guarantee the safety of their citizens." Cameroon has failed to take any of the steps necessary to comply with the 1991 Harare Declaration, a commitment it made when it joined the Commonwealth in 1995, ARTICLE 19 asserts. The declaration outlines a series of "fundamental principles regarding democracy and human rights, including freedom of expression." ARTICLE 19 attests that Cameroon's claim to be a democracy is a "mirage" which serves to conceal its abuses of human rights and press freedom.
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