The media in East Africa is facing a shrinking of press freedom
with independent media bearing the brunt of a clampdown by governments.
Stringent
new media laws that leave the media with little wiggle room, and state
agencies continue to jail, arbitrarily arrest and harass journalists,
with some being beaten and even killed.
This past week, Kenyan journalist Walter Menya was arrested
by criminal investigations officers for allegedly demanding and
receiving a bribe. He was released after two days in custody, without
being charged with any offence.
Before the arrest of
the Nation Media Group reporter, rights watchdogs Human Rights Watch and
Article 19 had released a report detailing how Kenyan authorities abuse
journalists reporting on sensitive issues.
Specifically
targeted are journalists and bloggers reporting on corruption, disputed
land acquisition, counter-terrorism operations, and the 2007-2008
post-electoral violence, the report said.
Death threats
At least two journalists have died under circumstances that may have been related to their work.
The
two organisations also documented 16 direct death threats against
journalists and bloggers across the country in recent years, and cases
in which police arbitrarily arrested, detained, and later released
without charge at least 14 journalists and bloggers.
“We
must stem the tide of increased violence and impunity against
journalists in Kenya. No policy to address the situation can succeed if
measures to prevent aggression against, and to protect at-risk
journalists, are not accompanied with thorough and timely prosecution of
all crimes committed against them,” said Henry Maina, regional director
at Article 19 Eastern Africa.
‘Palatable’ stories
In
Burundi, the media remains under constant threat since 2015, when a
political crisis erupted following President Pierre Nkurunziza’s
decision to run for a third term.
According to the
International Media Support Organisation, some 50 journalists have left
the country, with 42 of them fleeing to neighbouring Rwanda, some with
their families. Others are trying to get there but security forces are
turning people away at the border crossings.
Several
media houses, especially radio and television, have been shut down while
the remaining print media are expected to write stories palatable to
the government or else desist from writing at all.
Many
journalists in Burundi complain that their rights are constantly
violated but the National Media Council disagrees, saying that
journalists work under good conditions.
During
World Press Day on May 3, Denise Mugugu, chair of the Burundi Press
House, told Radio Deutsche Welle that the situation in the country has
impacted negatively on the journalism profession with most radio
stations remaining closed. Only three have reopened since the 2015 coup.
In South Sudan, journalism remains the most threatened sector since the civil war broke out in December 2013.
The
government, through Information Minister Michael Makue, who is also the
government spokesperson, has made it clear that the media should not
interview rebels to get their side of the story, otherwise they will be
seen as working in cahoots with the latter.
Several newspapers such as The Citizen, The Nation Mirror; Al aria, Altabeer and Free Voice, have been shut down indefinitely while a number of journalist such as George Livio, of the UN’s Radio Miraya, spent two years in detention without trial.
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