(IPI/IFEX) – In a 21 August 2000 letter to Liberian President Charles Taylor, IPI strongly condemned the arrest of four foreign TV journalists in Liberia. According to IPI’s information, Britons David Barrie and Timothy Lambon, South African Gugulakhe Radebe and Sierra Leonean Somoura Sorious were arrested in their hotel rooms in Monrovia on 18 August. […]
(IPI/IFEX) – In a 21 August 2000 letter to Liberian President Charles Taylor, IPI strongly condemned the arrest of four foreign TV journalists in Liberia.
According to IPI’s information, Britons David Barrie and Timothy Lambon, South African Gugulakhe Radebe and Sierra Leonean Somoura Sorious were arrested in their hotel rooms in Monrovia on 18 August. In a statement released on 19 August, Justice Minister Eddington Varmah said the four were arrested for carrying out “acts against the security of the state.” In addition, he claimed that their “clandestine activity” was aimed at “providing assistance to foreign powers,” but did not provide details of the charges. IPI understands that they are to appear before a court on Monday 21 August.
The journalists, all with Insight News Television, had been in Liberia for three weeks shooting a documentary series for the London-based Channel 4. A spokesperson for Channel 4 said the four had been engaged in legitimate journalistic activities and that the crew had obtained written permission to film from the Ministry of Information.
The arrests are especially worrying taken against the backdrop of the history of government action against the media in Liberia. Several persons suspected of being critical of the government have in the past disappeared. In addition, security officials have reportedly been using arrests and interrogations as a way to silence critical voices. Following the 1997 elections, “The New Democrat” newspaper, whose offices were burned down in 1996, was refused a permit to re-start publication. In July 2000, the government effectively stopped production of the paper again by barring all advertising in its pages (see IFEX alerts of 17 July 2000, 21 April and 20 February 1998 and 1 May 1996).
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– expressing the opinion that the arrests of the four TV journalists are a violation of everyone’s right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” as guaranteed by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
– also respectfully reminding His Excellency that Liberia is a signatory of the African Charter on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression
– urging him to ensure the immediate release of the journalists
– also urging His Excellency to do everything in his power to ensure that journalists working in Liberia are allowed to report freely and without fear of intimidation and harassment
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:H.E. Charles Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
Fax: +231 226 076Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
