In Burkina Faso, an appeals court in Ouagadougou upheld, on August 16, investigative Judge Wenceslas Ilboudou’s decision to drop all charges in the case of murdered journalist Norbert Zongo. On 19 July, Judge Ilboudo had dismissed all charges against Marcel Kafando, a member of the Presidential Security Battalion (BSP), after a crucial witness expressed doubts about elements of his previous testimony. The Ouagadougou Court of Appeal has refused to overturn this original decision, thus ignoring an appeal filed against it by members of Zongo’s family. Zongo, who was the editor of the weekly “l’Independent”, was murdered in 1998 while investigating criminal allegations against President Blaise Compaoré’s family. Kafando, who was indicted for the murder in 2001, was the main suspect in the case.

  In Ghana, on August 17, Ebo Hanson, a photojournalist for the state-owned “Daily-Graphic” newspaper, was assaulted by alleged supporters of suspected drug baron Prince Tsibu Darko, who is currently on trial accused of drug related crimes. Hanson had just taken a photo of the accused being escorted by police officers when he was surrounded by a group of individuals who attacked him. The assailants hit Hanson several times from behind and in the chest, taking away his digital camera, which they then tried to destroy. However, after the intervention of several bystanders, the men returned the camera, taking only the memory chip. Another journalist, William Yaw Owusu of the state-owned daily “Ghanaian Times”, was threatened and insulted by the same group of assailants. The Ghanaian Journalists Associations has condemned these attacks and has called for all Ghanaian security agencies to ensure the safety of journalists to enable them to go about their work.

  In Nigeria, the political affairs editor for the privately owned “Daily Independent”, Wole Olujobi, has received threats against his life. On 17 August, Olujobi contacted the Ekiti state police chief to inform him that two men had come looking for him at his home in the Ojokoro district of Lagos. In an article published in the “Daily Independent” two days later, the political affairs editor reported that the two men, who had spoken to one of his neighbours, had claimed to be looking for a “Daily Independent” journalist in connection with a story which their company had paid a large sum of money for but which had not been published. Sensing that something was amiss, the neighbour told the men that no journalist lived there. Olujobi alleged in the same article that he had received a threatening text message on the following evening, 18 August. The journalist believes that these threats are the work of Ayodele Fayose, governor of the south-western state of Ekiti, who he accuses of trying to intimidate him after having voiced displeasure with his reporting on the political crisis in Ekiti.

  In Sudan, Slovenian writer, photographer and activist Tomo Kriznar has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 500,000 dinars (1,800 Euros). The court in Al Fashir, capital of the western state of North Darfur, convicted Kriznar of “spying” and “publishing false information” as well as “entering Sudan without a visa”. His telephones, cameras and laptop were confiscated, and the court insisted that he leave Sudan upon completion of his prison sentence. Kriznar’s lawyer, Mohamed Mahjoub, said that they would be appealing the verdict, and he also alleged that the court had not respected the requirements of due process and that he had not been granted sufficient time to effectively defend his client. Kriznar admitted, during a previous hearing on 1 August, that he had entered Sudan from Chad without a visa, but he claimed to have done so at the invitation of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM). He has however denied all allegations of being a spy. Kriznar was the leader of Slovenia’s special mission in Sudan, a mission which was launched following a plan proposed by Slovenia’s President, Janez Drnovsek, to bring resolution to the crisis in Darfur. The Slovenian President, and the African Union Mission in Al Fashir, have both called for Kriznar’s immediate release.

  In Tanzania, the government has threatened to deport Richard Mgamba, an investigative journalist for the independent daily newspaper “The Citizen”. The Tanzanian government is reportedly considering this drastic step in response to Mgamba’s appearance in the film “Darwin’s Nightmare”. This film, a documentary made by Austrian film director Hubert Sauper, looks into the connections between fishing in Lake Victoria and the international arms trade, alleging that aid relief planes are being used to transport arms to the great lakes region in Africa. Mgamba appeared briefly in the film to discuss the issue of trade between East Africa and Western countries and acted as Sauper’s Swahili interpreter during interviews. He has been under investigation by the Tanzanian government for the past two weeks and is now being threatened with deportation to Kenya.

Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association (EFJA), Addis Ababa Human Rights Watch (HRW), United States International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), Canada International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna, Austria Journalistes En Danger (JED), Democratic Republic of Congo Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), Ghana Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Namibia Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Nigeria Reporters Without Borders (RSF), France