In Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nsimba Embete Ponte, editor of the privately-owned twice-weekly newspaper L’Interprčte was arbitrarily arrested by unidentified armed men in Kinshasa. Ponte is being held in an undisclosed location under unreported charges. According to Journaliste en Danger (JED), Ponte received threats following a series of articles he wrote on the health status of President Joseph Kabila on 29 February.
- Journalists in Sierra Leone are confronting the country’s laws, which criminalize free speech and authorize prison terms of up to seven years for those who criticize the government. The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) filed a lawsuit on 3 March against the country’s Supreme Court in an attempt to prompt an overturn of the laws. This marks the first direct challenge against criminal libel and false news laws in West Africa.
- Five state agents of the Gambia failed to appear at the ECOWAS Community Court in Abuja, Nigeria for the ongoing case of Gambian journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh. The security agents were summoned to the court to clear their involvement with Chief Manneh’s arrest at the pro-government Banjul-based Daily Observer newspaper office on 7 July 2006. The government has denied the arrest of Chief Manneh. The next court date is scheduled for 5 June 2008.
Sources of the Alerts:
Journaliste En Danger (JED)
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)