9 February 2009

Alert

Media advocate Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai receives death threats after criticising government


Incident details

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai

media worker(s)

death threat
(MFWA/IFEX) - Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, the executive director of Society for Democratic Initiatives (SDI), a Sierra Leone media advocacy organisation, received death threats on 6 February 2009 over his alleged criticism of the ruling All People's Congress (APC) government.

According to an MFWA source, the anonymous person accused Abdulai of giving opponents of the government the platform, to "preach hate politics" on his online Freedom of Information Forum.

In an e-mail communication headlined: "BE WARNED," the writer threatened, "you have the alternative to either close that forum or we will force you to close it."

In an interview, Abdulai told MFWA that he had received several death threats since his organisation released a report that criticized the government for reneging on its campaign promise to widen the space for media freedom.

The executive director, who is also a legal practitioner, said he had suffered two robbery attacks in less than two months, making him feel insecure in the country.



Source:

Media Foundation for West Africa
PO Box LG 730
30 Duade Street, Kokomlemle
Legon, Accra
Ghana
alerts (@) mediafound.org
Phone: +233 302 242470
Fax: +233 302 221084
 

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Sierra Leone

Two pastors assault newspaper editor; community radio journalists attacked 7 December 2011 Edition of newspaper seized by police 10 November 2011 Presidential guards attack four journalists 9 September 2011 Newspaper reporter receives death threat 13 July 2011 Sports journalists under threat 8 July 2011 See all alerts: Sierra Leone


 
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