24 January 2007
PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATIONS ON THE RISE
Attacks on journalists and media outlets in West Africa increased in 2006 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).
In 2006, MFWA recorded 168 cases of press freedom violations in the region. It registered 148 cases in 2005.
Fifteen countries were surveyed in the report: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Nigeria led all countries with 32 cases, or nearly 20 per cent of the total, followed by The Gambia with 27 cases. Liberia came in third with 20 violations, while Ghana was fourth on the list with 18 cases.
In the case of The Gambia, violations against the press were perpetrated by state actors and resulted from a government policy of repression, says MFWA. In Liberia, by contrast, most of the violations against the press were committed by errant security personnel.
Visit these links:
- MFWA Report: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/80493/
- MFWA: http://www.mfwaonline.org/en/home.php
- IFEX Alerts on West Africa: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/28/
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