In Tunisia, an appeal court ordered the release of human rights activist and member of the International Association for the Support of Political Prisoners (AISPP), Tarek Soussi on 25 September. However, he still faces prosecution on charges of “spreading false information liable to disrupt public order” for an interview he gave for the pan-Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera. In the interview, he described the arrest of seven youths in Tunisia as a kidnapping. His charge holds a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

  In Egypt, reporter for the independent daily Al-Dustour, Hossam Al Wakeel, was arrested on 25 September while covering protests on charges of “assaulting and defaming a law enforcement officer,” “breaking tree branches,” and “blocking street traffic.” He faces a possible three-year prison sentence and will be held in detainment for a total of 15 days regardless of his final sentence.

  In Guinea, Traoré Facely, a reporter from Familia FM, a privately-owned radio station was arrested and briefly detained on 24 September. Facely had gone to the police station to cover the interrogation of two policemen who had been detained for allegedly stealing two bags of rice.

  In Swaziland, the police have recently discovered a plot to bomb the state-owned Swazi Observer newspaper, which was founded by the King in the early 1980s. Bombings in the country have become more common alongside pressure to democratize the monarchy.The plot against the paper came in the wake of the arrest of a suspect who survived a bomb that had prematurely exploded and killed two other men in an attempt to bomb an overhead bridge on 20 September near King Mswati’s palace.

  In Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) lifted the news blackout it had imposed on the activities of the country’s police over violent attacks, which had taken place in August, on eight of its journalists.

  In Mali, journalist Sidiki Doumba of the independent Les Echos was arrested and detained overnight at a police station for allegedly possessing a camera on public transportation. Doumba was among passengers on a public transportation vehicle that was stopped by police for an identity card check. It was reported that the police were outraged upon realising that Doumba was a journalist

  In Cameroon, publisher Lewis Medjo of the weekly Détente Libre was arrested by the head of judiciary police on 22 September. Local journalists believe he was arrested for “publishing false information” in a mid-August edition about the national police requesting a hefty fine from a wealthy businessman for his passport after it was confiscated.

  In Zambia, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting wrote a letter to all broadcasters calling them to cease live phone-in broadcast programmes that involve members of the public on 12 September. This move was based on the minister’s belief that some programmes provide unbalanced, and sometimes, unfair coverage to political parties during election campaigns. Zambia will hold a presidential by-election on 30 October.

Sources of the Alerts

  Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
  Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
  Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
  Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)