This revelation was made by the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, as the country counts seven journalists currently behind bars. The report released on Wednesday has sparked tension on social media as many have been expressing disdain over the country’s rule of law.
It revealed most of the journalists detained are facing charges linked to fake news, disinformation and news that endangers state security. Of 39 journalists locked up in sub-saharan Africa, the bulk of them are in Eritea, where they remain incommunicado.
In Cameroon, those behind bars are Amadou Valmouke, former Director of CRTV, who was arrested in July 22019 and Mancho Bibixy of Abakwa FM arrested on the heels of the Anglophone Crisis on the 17th of January 2016.
Thomas Awa Junior of Aghem Messenger was arrested on the 2nd of January 2017, Paul Chouta of Cameroon Web went behind bars on the 28th of May 2019 , Tsi Conrad a freelance journalist got locked up after the December 8, 2018 riots, while freelance journalist Wawa Jackson Nfor was arrested on the 15th of May 2018.
Samuel Wazizi of Chillen Music and Television, was arrested on August , 2019. This case is complicated as no one knows of his whereabout. Some journalists have been expressing fears that he could have been killed.
Same report said the number of journalists imprisoned globall remains near a record high, according to the annual survey, which identifies China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt as the world’s largest jailers of reporters.
Although the number of journalists imprisoned worldwide slipped from 253 to 25 in 2019, the New York-based press freedom watch-dog also says that journalists charged with reporting “false”
Kiven B. NSODZEFE
