As Africa joins the rest of the world to commemorate the Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, reporters across the continent continue to face a daunting task in their pursuit of truth.
Development Diaries reports that the 2023 observance of the day seeks to raise awareness of the main challenges faced by journalists and communicators in the exercise of their profession and to warn of the escalation of violence and repression against them.
Journalists in Africa often find themselves at the forefront of reporting on issues that are contentious, controversial, and challenging. They shed light on corruption, human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and social injustices.
According to a 2023 report by Spaces for Change (S4C), journalists are targeted by more repressive practices than any other group of civic actors in West Africa.
Amnesty International and the Media Institute of Southern Africa reported that in 2022, authorities in East and Southern Africa intensified their attacks on press freedom and journalists in order to stifle coverage of human rights abuses and corruption.
Their findings also revealed that authorities in Ethiopia arrested at least 29 journalists and media professionals nationwide, signaling a serious attack on the country’s media freedom.
Earlier this year, seven journalists – Genet Asmamaw, Getnet Aragaw, Aragaw Sisay, Meskerem Abera, Abay Zewdu, Dawit Begashaw and Tewodros Asfaw – were all arrested in Ethiopia following violence in the Amhara region.
Reporters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have continually faced ongoing threats, harassment, incarceration, and occasionally even execution while carrying out their duties.
In Algeria, independent journalist Ihsane el Kadi has been in detention since December 2022 and was sentenced to five years in prison in April 2023 on bogus charges.
It is understood that dozens of journalists in Algeria have been arrested and/or prosecuted since 2020 as part of the Algerian government’s wider crackdown on the right to free expression.
A report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that at least 56 journalists were imprisoned across Africa in 2022, with Egypt being the top jailer.
CPJ consistently ranks African countries among the most dangerous places for journalists, with high numbers of unsolved cases of violence, harassment, and even murder.
It is time this impunity for crimes against journalists in Africa ended to safeguard the essential role of journalism in democracy and development.
Ending impunity for crimes against journalists is an essential precondition to guaranteeing freedom of expression and access to information for all citizens.
To end impunity for crimes against journalists in Africa, governments must enact and enforce legislation that protects journalists, guarantees their safety, and ensures that crimes against them are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
Also, laws should be in alignment with international standards, such as the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
Furthermore, law enforcement agencies must be trained and equipped to investigate crimes against journalists thoroughly. Specialised units or task forces could be established to expedite the process of bringing perpetrators to justice.
Development Diaries calls on African countries to take concrete steps to protect journalists as they uphold the values of truth and transparency in environments where their lives are on the line.
Photo source: Aizawaiza, Ricard Andrianamanana
