Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)

The political crisis that erupted in the once stable and peaceful West African country of Mali in early 2012 led to significant deterioration of media and general human rights conditions in the country. A report by the Media Foundation for West Africa analyses the state of the media as Mali recovers from the conflict.

On 31 July 2013, a fast-track high court in Accra fined two newspapers an amount of 180,000 Ghana Cedis (about US $86,282) in damages for publishing libelous information against Mr. Joe Baidoe-Ansah, a Member of Parliament.

A reporting crew from Adom FM was physically assaulted after attempting to interview the head pastor of a church near Accra. This is the second time this year that journalists have been assaulted at a church premises.

On 28 July 2013, officers from the Burkinabe Police Unit attacked and fired teargas at large groups of opposition protesters who were demonstrating against the creation of a second senate in the National Assembly, the country’s legislative body.

IFEX members issued a joint call for amendments to a deeply-flawed draft media law in Somalia before it goes to parliament for approval in August.

According to the Media Foundation for West Africa, Zaly Liberté FM was ordered to close down by Guinea’s Minister of Communications because he was angry with director of the radio station for allegedly giving information about local clashes to local and international press.

On 22 July 2013, MFWA entreats all Internet-users across the world to join the Day of Action campaign to protest a new Internet law and the worsening state of free expression in The Gambia.

On 12 July 2013, Mohamed Ambrose Koroma was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay 2,500 Leones (about US $600) in compensation for assaulting Paul Lamin, a reporter for the privately-owned Awareness Times newspaper.