West African Journalists Association (WAJA)

(WAJA/IFEX) – The following is a WAJA statement for World Press Freedom Day: STATEMENT BY THE WEST AFRICAN JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION FOR WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY-MAY 3, 1999 On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, The West African Journalists Association join colleagues all over the world and the international community to mark the day for […]

(WAJA/IFEX) – On Monday, 19 April 1999, Romain Koudjodji, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Le Reporter”, was arrested at his residence by plainclothes police officers. The next day, he was referred to the civilian prison in Lomé. Koudjodji is accused of having published an article in the most recent issue of his newspaper, (issue no. […]

HASH(0x8965138) **Updates IFEX alerts of 21 January, 20 January, 12 January and 11 January 1999** (WAJA/IFEX) – The following is a WAJA press release: We have been following recent events in Sierra Leone and are outraged and shocked by the senseless and indiscriminate attacks and persecution of both foreign and local journalists in Sierra Leone. […]

(WAJA/IFEX) – The following is a 16 December 1998 statement by WAJA further to the death under suspicious circumstances of Burkina Faso journalist Norbert Zongo: WAJA is expressing deep shock further to the mysterious death of Norbert Zongo, editor-in-chief of the “The Independent”, a weekly publication in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso on 13 December 1998. Zongo, […]

(WAJA/IFEX) – On 22 to 25 February 1999, a WAJA conference on children and the media will coincide with the association’s fourth triennial Congress in Banjul, The Gambia. It has become paramount to focus on children rights following the IFJ’s 23rd Congress in Recife, Brazil, where this issue was examined in detail. It is evident […]

(WAJA/IFEX) -Thirteen IFEX members signed the following statement issued by WAJA, calling for the release of other journalists in Nigeria. (Due to technical difficulties in reaching Ghana, the final list of signatures was not confirmed until now.) “On 23 June 1998, which has been designated “Freedom Day” in Nigeria by opposition groups, the West African […]

(WAJA/IFEX) – Kwesi Biney, a journalist with the “African Observer” news magazine, was charged, together with journalist Gordon George-Iroro, editor and publisher Steve Mallory, and Frank Awuah, the distributor of the “African Observer” in Ghana, with intentional libel. They were said to have acted together in September 1997 with a common purpose to publish, unlawfully, […]

Deyda Hydara, editor of “The Point” and President of the Gambia Press Union was interrogated for three hours by agents from the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the national information service in The Gambia. The reason given by the NIA was the publication, in the 27 February edition of “The Point”, of an open letter addressed […]