Southern Africa

  In Zimbabwe, a Harare magistrate dropped charges on 4 December against

editor Bornwell Chakaodza, senior reporter Farai Mutsaka and entertainment

editor Fungayi Kanyuchi, all from The Standard, who were accused of

publishing falsehoods. Bornwell Chakaodza and Farai Mutsaka were arrested on

16 May after publishing a story revealing that government had bought heavy

anti-riot gear from a Israeli arms manufacturer. The government disputed

this story despite confirmation from then Israeli foreign minister, Shimon

Peres. Chakaodza faced another charge together with Fungayi Kanyuchi over a

story that highlighted "sex for freedom deals" involving members of the

police force and prostitutes in Harare. The three journalists, who had been

on conditional bail since May, had applied to have their charges dropped if

the State failed to come up with a trial date by 4 December. In granting the

application, the court said the State could proceed by way of summons, if

the need arose.

  In Botswana, Moreri Moroka - a freelance reporter for the bi-weekly paper

Mokgosi and well-known Setswana poet - and Moreri Sejakgomo, a photographer,

were covering a student demonstrations at Botswana University on 5 December

when they were surrounded, verbally abused and manhandled by a crowd of

approximately 100 protesting students. Moroka was later identified and freed

by the Student Representative Committee and the University security. He was

forced to dodge flying bricks from the cheering mob as he walked out of the

campus gates. Moroka feels that his life is in great danger since his

attackers are fellow students, some of whom he shares lecture rooms.

Sejakgomo had managed to flee the campus earlier, but not before enduring

moments of being manhandled, pulled and poked by the students.

  In Malawi, journalist McDonald Chapalapata of Malawi’s privately owned and

largest daily newspaper, The Nation, was allegedly attacked by a senior

public servant on 28 November. The Finance Controller of the National Food

Reserve Agency, Paul Chimenya, allegedly attacked him in the offices of

Chimenya’s lawyer after the journalist asked him about allegations that he

fraudulently awarded a contract to his personal transport company. Mr

Chimenya denied having beaten the reporter saying he only tried to push him

out of the office. Police have opened a criminal case against Mr Chimenya.

West Africa

  In Liberia, journalist Hassan Bility has been released from custody

without charge after more than five months of detention. On 1 December,

Liberian authorities released the journalist on condition that he depart the

country, saying he was a "terrorist involved in an Islamic fundamentalist

war." Escorted by US Embassy officials, Bility boarded a plane to Ghana on 7

December. It is not known what his final destination is. Mr Bility is the

editor of an independent weekly, The Analyst, which has been a frequent

critic of the government. He and two associates, Ansumana Kamara and

Mohammed Kamara, were arrested on 24 June and accused of aiding the rebel

group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. The rebel group has

been waging an armed campaign against the government of Charles Taylor for

the last three years.

Central Africa

  In Cameroon, cartoonist Paul Nyemb Ntoogue (pen name: "Popoli") was beaten

by police officers on 30 November. Popoli has gained a reputation of being

particularly interested in focusing his pointed cartoons on the Head of

State’s wife. Popoli and another staff cartoonist with Le Messager were

stopped at an impromptu police check point set up about 50 meters from the

paper’s offices. Popoli was injured on the head, back and feet and the next

day could not go to the press due to the pain. He is now consulting with

both a doctor and lawyer. His paper, Le Messager, plans to bring a criminal

charge against the offending police officers, as they are known persons and

there were witnesses to the beating. According to the cartoonist, for more

than three months now, the Head of State’s spouse has been threatening him

by phone.

  In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Delly Bonsange, publisher of the

newspaper Alerte Plus, was released on 3 December after more than four

months in prison. In early September, the journalist was sentenced for

making "harmful accusations" and "writing falsehoods," along with the

newspaper’s publication director, Raymond Kabala, who is still in jail.

Kabala and Bonsange were arrested on 19 and 22 July, respectively, for

publishing an article in which it was reported that Minister of Security and

Public Order Mwenze Kongolo had allegedly been poisoned. Alerte Plus had

published a correction admitting the information was false the next day.

Also in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the offices of Radio Maendeleo, a

community radio station based in Bukavu (South Kivu province’s main city),

were closed on 9 December by intelligence services agents from the

Rassemblement congolais pour la dmocratie (RCD, a rebel movement that

controls the country’s eastern region with Rwandan support). RCD officials

were offended by information broadcast by Radio Maendeleo on 7 and 8

December, which said their taxes were hurting local residents.

North Africa

  In Egypt, the authorities withdrew the banning of the November issue of

the Lebanese Arab literary and cultural review Al Adab in the country.

According to a letter from the Al Adab’s editor-in-chief, the distributor

informed him that he had received written confirmation that the edition

could be distributed in Egypt. Al-Adab’s November issue contained reports

and personal accounts about censorship of the press, cinema and art in

Egypt.

Sources for the regional updates:

  Journalist in Danger

  Committee to Protect Journalists

  International Freedom of Expression Exchange

  Cartoonists Rights Network

  Reporters Without Borders

  Scores 2000, Cameroon

  Media Institute of Southern Africa

  Egyptian Organization for Human Rights