Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)

Even in so-called progressive countries like South Africa, MISA has witnessed deliberate assaults on journalists, media practitioners and media houses.

Abram Banda, Cephas Phiri, and Use Mukalipi, were jailed for three years with hard labour for committing aggravated robbery on a television crew from the privately-owned Muvi TV.

On 1 May, jailed journalist Eskinder Nega, facing the death penalty, receives in absentia the 2012 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. Thirty-two IFEX members are calling for his release, and an end to the use of national security legislation against all writers and journalists.

The APAI working group called on the Commission to recognise 28 September as International Right to Know Day.

Referring to the African Platform on Access to Information campaign initiated in 2011, MISA said access to information is a right that many African citizens were still struggling to realise.

Parliamentarians from the ruling party, Swapo, are reported to have expressed their annoyance with state-controlled media houses.

In advance of the Formula 1, 50 IFEX members and partners call for detained activists and human rights defenders to be freed, including blogger and activist Abduljalil Al-Singace and human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, founder of IFEX member the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, who is ailing in prison since starting a hunger strike on 8 February.

Journalist Tumaole Mohlaoli and cameraperson Meshack Dube were detained at a roadblock outside the capital and had their passports and equipment seized.