Dembo Santang Bojang, President of Kombo Central District Tribunal, in the western region of Gambia threatened journalists on 8 April to stop covering its proceedings or they will risk jail time. This decision follows a civil law suit Bojang brought against his brother in the same court he heads. It is presumed that Bojang will serve as both prosecutor and judge of the case, which is an obvious contravention on fundamental principles of justice. Bojang has already threatened to prosecute Modou Jonga, journalist for the privately-owned Banjul-based Foroyaa newspaper.

  The independent Zambian newspaper The Post was recently released from accusations of interference in a court case involving former Zambia Army defence chiefs who are being tried on allegations of corruption. The Lusaka High Court Deputy Registrar reported on 3 April that the charges were baseless.

  A member of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s close officials has threatened The National Chronicle, one of Liberia’s daily newspapers, with a defamation lawsuit. Managing Director, Harry Greaves of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company is pushing the case following a story entitled, “For Greed of Power and Wealth: Harry Greaves Financed Taylor’s War Killed 250,000 Innocent Liberians.” Both sides are arguing the validity of the article and the newspaper has reported that it will not concede to Greaves’ legal suit.

  The 3 April highest court of appeal in Tunis, Tunisia ruled to uphold the one-year sentence handed to journalist Slim Boukhdir four months ago on charges of “insulting behaviour towards an official in the exercise of his duty.” He has no further possibility of appeal. Boukhdir has spent a total of 129 days behind bars and his health is reportedly in poor conditions.

  On 1 April, unknown assailants attacked Mohamed Daw Serraj, a journalist and general secretary of the Syndicat National de la Presse Marocaine (SNPM) with a metal bar in Morocco. Serraj received 10 stitches for his injury. He also works for the Moroccan public broadcaster SNRT. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expressed concern that this arbitrary attack may stem from his either his journalistic work or involvement with the SNPM. The Arab Press Network (APN) reports that this is the fifth attach on a Moroccan journalist this year.

  On 31 March, police in the Senegalese capital of Dakar assaulted Walf TV reporter Ousmane Mangane during a violent anti-government protest. The police later raided the Walf TV station and confiscated footage from the manifestation. Mangane reported to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that riot police used electroshock guns on him as he was attempting to conduct an interview with an opposition member of parliament. There were 24 other arrests made during the protests, including several other journalists. The protests stem from price hikes in food, fuel and other basic staples.

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