Cameroon: Journalist Pius Njawé's passport confiscated

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> ALERT - CAMEROON
>
> 17 June 2002
>
> Journalist Pius Njawé's passport confiscated
>
> SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
>
> (RSF/IFEX) - On 16 June 2002, border police at Douala International
Airport
> in Cameroon confiscated journalist Pius Njawé's identity papers. Njawé is
> director of Le Messager Press Group.
>
> "Pius Njawé is once again the victim of harassment by the Cameroonian
> authorities. This measure constitutes a de facto travel ban, and is
> therefore a serious attack on press freedom and the free movement of
> persons," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Delegate
> General for National Security Minlo Medjo. RSF asked the authorities to
> return Njawé's identity papers immediately.
>
> According to information collected by RSF, Njawé returned to Cameroon on
16
> June after a six-month stay in Great Britain. When he presented his papers
> at immigration, the border police officer took the documents and handed
them
> over to the chief administrator of Douala Airport. The chief administrator
> refused to provide an explanation to Njawé, who then left the airport. The
> police confiscated the journalist's passport, national identity card and
> driver's licence.
>
> RSF recalls that Njawé spent ten months in prison between December 1997
and
> October 1998. He was convicted of "spreading false information" after
> writing and publishing an article in "Le Messager" in which he stated that
> President Paul Biya had suffered heart trouble while attending the
Cameroon
> Cup soccer final (see IFEX alerts of 13 October, 11 September, 24 and 2
> June, 7 May, 23 and 14 April, 19 February, 14 and 13 January 1998 and 24
> December 1997).