Cameroon / Africa

  

Cameroon military spokesperson says journalist Samuel Wazizi died in custody last year

New York, June 5, 2020 — In response to a statement issued by the Cameroonian Ministry of Defense today that journalist Samuel Wazizi died in government custody in August 2019, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The Cameroonian government’s cruel treatment of journalist Samuel Wazizi is truly shocking. It is unbelievable that authorities…

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CPJ demands Cameroonian government account for arrested journalist Samuel Wazizi

New York, June 3, 2020 — Cameroonian authorities must immediately disclose the whereabouts and the health and legal status of imprisoned journalist Samuel Wazizi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. “Samuel Wazizi’s friends, family, colleagues, and lawyers have unsuccessfully sought answers about his arrest from the Cameroonian government for far too long,” said CPJ…

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CPJ, 80 media and rights groups urge African heads of state to release jailed journalists

CPJ and 80 media, press freedom, and human rights organizations write to African heads of state to call on their respective governments to release all jailed journalists amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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A police officer is seen in Cameroon's Far North Region on September 29, 2018. Journalist Adalbert Hiol has been jailed in Cameroon since November 2019. (AFP/Alexis Huguet)

Journalist Adalbert Hiol jailed since November in Cameroon

New York, March 5, 2020 — Authorities in Cameroon should not contest journalist Adalbert Hiol’s appeal of a false news and defamation conviction and should let his newspaper publish freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Police officers are seen in Buea, Cameroon, on October 3, 2018. Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo has been jailed since January. (AFP/Marco Longari)

Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo jailed since January on defamation charges

New York, February 18, 2020 — Authorities in Cameroon should immediately release journalist Martinez Zogo, drop all charges against him, and reform the country’s penal code to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A woman walks past Rapid Intervention Battalion members as they patrol in the city of Buea in October 2018. CPJ and others are calling on the ACHPR to address human rights violations in Cameroon's Anglophone regions. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)

African Union must act on Cameroon’s human rights violations

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 64 other civil society organizations in calling on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to address serious and systematic human rights violations in Cameroon, including the jailing of journalists.

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A Cameroonian elite Rapid Intervention Battalion member walks along an empty street in the city of Buea in Cameroon's Anglophone southwest region on October 4, 2018. Cameroon’s military detained pidgin news anchor Samuel Wazizi on August 2, 2019, in Buea. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)

Cameroon’s military detains pidgin news anchor Samuel Wazizi

New York, August 13, 2019–Cameroonian authorities should immediately release without charge pidgin news anchor Samuel Wazizi, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Police arrested Wazizi, whose legal name is Samuel Ajiekah Abuwe, 11 days ago and handed him over to the military, which has since held him without access to his lawyer or family…

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Cameroonian police officers are seen on October 3, 2018. Police recently arrested journalist Paul Chouta on criminal defamation and false news charges. (AFP/Marco Longari)

Cameroonian journalist detained on criminal defamation and false news charges

Abidjan, June 20, 2019 — Cameroonian authorities should immediately release journalist Paul Chouta and drop criminal defamation and false news charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Members of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie patrol Buea in October 2018, during a political rally. In a letter to the UN Security Council, CPJ and other groups have highlighted the deteriorating situation, including the jailing of journalists, in parts of Cameroon. (AFP/Marco Longari)

CPJ joins call for UN Security Council to act on Cameroon crisis

The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other civil society organizations sent a letter to members of the United Nations Security Council about the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Cameroon. The letter was sent ahead of the U.N. Regional Office for Central Africa briefing to the Security Council, due to take place on…

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A traffic policewoman pictured in Yaoundé in October 2018. A journalist was attacked outside his home in the city on January 31. (Reuters/Zohra Bensemra)

Cameroon Web reporter attacked with knife outside his home

Abidjan, February 1, 2019–Cameroonian authorities should immediately investigate an attack on Paul Chouta, a reporter for the privately owned news website Cameroon Web, and ensure that those who assaulted him are swiftly brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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