(WAN/IFEX) – Pius Njawé, editor-in-chief of the privately-owned weekly “Le Messager”, is suffering an eye ailment for which prison authorities refuse to allow him to receive proper medical treatment. The ailment has apparently been brought on by the conditions of his imprisonment in Douala and exacerbated by lack of specialist treatment. **Updates IFEX alerts dated […]
(WAN/IFEX) – Pius Njawé, editor-in-chief of the privately-owned weekly “Le
Messager”, is suffering an eye ailment for which prison authorities refuse
to allow him to receive proper medical treatment. The ailment has apparently
been brought on by the conditions of his imprisonment in Douala and
exacerbated by lack of specialist treatment.
**Updates IFEX alerts dated 3 June, 7 May, 23 and 14 April, 20 and 13
January 1998, and others**
Prison authorities refused to provide an escort for Njawé to allow him to
attend a medical examination on 15 June in an opthamologist’s clinic,
thereby preventing him from having further treatment.
Background Information
According to an alert issued by Reporters sans fronitères, Njawé was
sentenced to two years in prison for “spreading false information” in
connection with an article that appeared in the 22 December 1997 issue of
“Le Messager”. The article reported that President Paul Biya had suffered a
heart attack while watching a football match. On 14 April 1998, Njawé’s
sentence was reduced on appeal to one year in prison. His conviction drew
widespread international condemnation (see IFEX alerts).
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
of Pius Njawé, who is in detention simply for exercising his right to
freedom of expression in accordance with numerous international conventions
specialist medical treatment without delay
Appeals To
His Excellency Paul Biya
President of the Republic of Cameroon
Palais de l’Unite
Yaounde, Cameroon
Fax: +237 23 30 22/+237 22 16 99
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
