Media & freedom of expression

Liberia: Journalists harassed under state of emergency

2002-02-28, Issue 55

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/6153

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In a 21 February 2002 letter to Liberian President Charles G. Taylor, CPJ expressed deep concern over the recent arrest of three journalists and the suspension of their newspaper, which had recently criticized the current state of emergency in Liberia.


ACTION ALERT UPDATE - LIBERIA

22 February 2002

Journalists harassed under state of emergency

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**Updates IFEX alert of 13 February 2002**

(CPJ/IFEX) - In a 21 February 2002 letter to Liberian President Charles G.
Taylor, CPJ expressed deep concern over the recent arrest of three
journalists and the suspension of their newspaper, which had recently
criticized the current state of emergency in Liberia.

On 12 February, police in Monrovia arrested Stanley Seakor, the publisher
and managing editor of "The Analyst", and reporters James Lloyd and Ellis
Togba. The police also suspended the publication. The journalists were
released the following day, when the newspaper was allowed to resume
publication.

According to senior police official Paul Mulbah, the arrests resulted from
"Analyst" articles that were allegedly inflammatory and "not in the interest
of peace." Mulbah pointed to two articles in particular. The first was
titled, "Emergency Power Pinches Businesses: What Rights and Freedoms Can
the President Suspend?" The second ran under the headline, "Normalcy Slips
Away: Liberians Drowning in Horrors."

The arrests followed the government's imposition of a state of emergency to
deal with the rebel insurgency in northern Liberia. In a statement issued on
the day of the arrests, the Ministry of Information announced that anyone
who commented on the state of emergency without first seeking proper
government authorization would be "dealt with" under the emergency law.

This is not the first time the government has harassed Liberia's beleaguered
independent media. In February 2001, authorities shut down four
publications, including "The Analyst", for alleged failure to pay tax
arrears (see IFEX alert of 13 February 2001). In April, the government
announced that press reports on fighting in the north of the country and on
other issues of national security should be cleared with the Ministry of
Information before publication or broadcast (see IFEX alert of 3 May 2001).

Local journalists fear that the state of emergency will be invoked to censor
critical or unfavorable reporting, as the recent arrests and closures at
"The Analyst" attest.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the president:
- noting that CPJ named him as one of the Ten Worst Enemies of the Press in
2001, based on his use of censorship, prison, and threats of violence to
silence virtually all independent journalism in Liberia
- urging his government to refrain from interfering with the work of
journalists

APPEALS TO:

President Charles G. Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
Fax: +231 225 217

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (ext. 112) or Wacuka Mungai
(ext. 106) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212
465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: africa@cpj.org, ysorokobi@cpj.org,
wmungai@cpj.org, Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit CPJ.
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