Network of African Freedom of Expression Organizations (NAFEO)
Statement of Freedom of Expression in Africa
Lagos, Nigeria, June 13, 2006

On June 12 to 13, 2006, the Coordinating Group of the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organizations (NAFEO) met in Lagos to deliberate on:

media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa
ways of strengthening organizations working for media freedom and freedom of expression;
strategies and programmes for defending and promoting press freedom and freedom of expression in Africa; and
plans for strengthening the NAFEO, and developing action plans for interventions to promote the network objectives in the next one year

At the meeting in Lagos, the Coordinating Group of NAFEO observed that the conditions of press freedom and freedom of expression are deteriorating rapidly or systematically in all regions of Africa. There is a marked increase in the arrests, detention, repression and general harassment of journalists, media and other communications workers.

The meeting also observed that many governments have either introduced new legislation, or have intensified the application, of laws that criminalize journalistic work and free expression.

The NAFEO would like to state that the increasing deterioration of free expression goes on in most countries in Africa today. However, the following countries constitute the hot spots of extreme violations of press freedom and freedom of expression:

The Gambia
Ethiopia
Eritrea
Zimbabwe
Tunisia, and
Swaziland.

In two weeks, that is on July 1 and 2, the African Union Summit will be held in Banjul, capital of one of the most violent violators of these freedoms on the continent. We take this opportunity to call on African leaders to take urgent steps to:

End the attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression;
Free all journalists and other citizens arrested, detained or imprisoned for exercising their rights to free expression;
End all pending criminal prosecution of all journalists and other citizens charged for exercising their right to free expression by any medium;
Repeal all laws that criminalize free speech, including anti-terrorism legislation;
End censorship of any medium of communication, including the Internet; and
Respect their citizens’ rights to publish, broadcast, and use the Internet without hindrance.

Democracy will be empty in Africa if the citizens of our continent cannot enjoy one of the basic human rights and fundamental pillars of democracy – freedom of expression.

Having met in Lagos, we are appealing especially to President Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, to use his influence within the African Union, to remind his colleague heads of state, particularly those of the above-named countries, to end the repression of press freedom and freedom of expression.

Our Network is launching a campaign to end the repression of these rights in our countries.

NAFEO therefore takes this opportunity to appeal to the mass media, human rights organizations and other civil society groups all over Africa, to join in this campaign to protect and promote media freedom and freedom of expression in Africa.

About NAFEO

Following a meeting held in Accra, Ghana, from October 28 to 30, 2005, media freedom and freedom of expression organisations in Africa came together to form the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations for the purpose of strengthening coordination and collaboration among themselves in the promotion and defence of media freedom and freedom of expression across all the regions of Africa, including the North, Southern, East, the Horn, Central, and West Africa, as well as in all the Islands.

Current Member Organizations of NAFEO

Journaliste en Danger (JED), Kinshasa
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Accra
Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Lagos
AFMF: Africa Free Media Foundation (formerly NDIMA Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa), Nairobi
AMDISS: Association for Media Development in Southern Sudan, Juba
CNLT: National Council for Liberties in Tunisia, Tunis
EFJA: Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association , Addis Ababa
FAMEDEV: Inter-Africa Network for Women, Media, Gender Equity & Development, Dakar
FXI: Freedom of Expression Institute, Johannesburg
NGE: Nigerian Guild of Editors, Abuja
OMAC: Organisation des Medias d’Afrique Centrale, Bujunbura
OTM: Observatoire Togolais des Medias, Lome
PIWA: Panos Institute West Africa, Dakar
SCFE: Somali Coalition for Free Expression, Mogadishu
TAEF: All Africa Editors Forum, Johannesburg
URATEL: Union des Radios & Televisions libres du Togo, Lome
WAJA/OJAO: West Africa Journalist Association/ Union des journalistes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, Bamako
CREDO: Centre for Research Education & Development of FOX & Association Rights, London
Working Group for Press Freedom and Free Expression in North Africa, Casablanca