Cameroon: Africa commission urged to act on station closure
Africa’s leading human rights body has been asked to intervene in the case of a Cameroonian radio station closed by the government. The complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights was filed on behalf of Freedom FM, an independent radio station in Douala, Cameroon. The station has been arbitrarily denied a broadcasting license since its application was submitted in October 2002. In May 2003, police seized the station’s studios and sealed off access to its broadcasting equipment. The owners have been refused entry ever since.
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AFRICAN COMMISSION URGED TO END CAMEROON RADIO CLOSURE
New York, June 22, 2004—Africa’s leading human rights body has been asked to intervene in the case of a Cameroonian radio station closed by the government.
The complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights was filed yesterday on behalf of Freedom FM, an independent radio station in Douala, Cameroon. The station has been arbitrarily denied a broadcasting license since its application was submitted in October 2002. In May 2003, police seized the station’s studios and sealed off access to its broadcasting equipment. The owners have been refused entry ever since.
“Broadcasting freedom is threatened in many African countries,” said James A. Goldston, Executive Director of the Justice Initiative. “The African Commission should act to protect the right to operate radio and TV stations, free of politically-motivated government fiat.”
In its application, the Justice Initiative argued that Cameroon’s licensing laws and practices violate international broadcasting freedom standards. The rights group asked the Commission to adopt urgent measures requiring Cameroon to release Freedom FM’s equipment and allow it to operate, pending final resolution of the case.
Many African countries continue to maintain state broadcasting monopolies. Cameroon reluctantly opened the airwaves to private broadcasters in 2000, but has since kept them in legal limbo by refusing to grant any proper license.
Freedom FM is run by Pius Njawé, a prominent media freedom activist and editor-in-chief of Le Messager newspaper, which is known for its outspoken and independent-minded journalism. Since 1990 Njawé has been repeatedly arrested, imprisoned and forced into exile by the regime of Cameroonian President Paul Biya.
“They have been trying to silence us for 25 years,” said Njawé. “But we are here to stay and keep speaking our mind.”
The full texts of the Communication and request for provisional measures are available at www.justiceinitiative.org.
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The Open Society Justice Initiative, an operational program of the Open Society Institute (OSI), pursues law reform activities grounded in the protection of human rights, and contributes to the development of legal capacity for open societies. The Justice Initiative combines litigation, legal advocacy, technical assistance, and the dissemination of knowledge to secure advances in five priority areas: national criminal justice, international justice, freedom of information and expression, equality and citizenship, and anticorruption. Its offices are in Abuja, Budapest, and New York.