Cadiz to welcome persecuted journalists.

Legend has it that Cadiz was founded as a result of the mythical 12 labours of Hercules which included separating Europe from Africa. The first settlers came here after their oracle advised them to construct a city overlooking the Atlantic between the Pillars of Hercules.

Santiago and his colleague

What we know as historical fact is that this is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. The Phoenicians established a trading post here in 1,100 BC and called the town Gadir (meaning enclosure), a name which later transmuted to Gades under the Romans..

Journalists in this particular city have decided to offer a refuge to colleagues fleeing persecution and torture from their own homeland due to the exercise of their profession.

The Cadiz Press Association ( http://www.prensacadiz.org/) with the help of the ( http://www.ifj.org/) has decided to build a house that will host journalists seeking refuge and asylum in Spain and the (http://www.nuj.org/) will provide some technical and referral support to the project. This cooperation has been materialised on Wednesday 16 March by the signing agreement between the Cadiz Press Association ( APC) and the International Federation of Journalists. 

Fernando Santiago Munoz, the acting president of APC and Jim Boumelha for the Ifj have both signed the cooperation agreement in the presence of the general Secretary of the Nuj, Jeremy Dear and his deputy Michelle Stanistreet.

Jim and Santiago signing agreement

Pete Murray and Donnacha Delong, president and deputy were also present at the ceremony that took place in the conference room situated at the fifth floor at the Headland House in London.

Jeremy explained to the spanish colleagues how the Nuj has been involved in campagnings in order to avoid one of his member been removed from the UK and also highlighted the support that asylum seeker members are receiving from the union...

On the agreement it is said that the APC undertakes to promote the construction and complete fitting-out of the journalists`house and also to provide sufficient staff for its operation and security.

 Journalists will be admitted in that house on condition that their asylum application has been approved by Spanish authorities and that they have the status of refugee. They will receive necessary services to pursue their journalistic work and also will have to learn the language that will be a criteria to integrate the community.

There are 16 rooms that are going to be funded by media groups in Spain in a scale of 50% of the management and the other 50% will be donated and collected through the European fund for refugee and other International federation of journalists. Funds will help the maintenance and the complete function of the House.  

The Ifj will put forward names and specific cases of journalists needing or requesting protection to the Journalists`House. The Spanish initiative comes after French and German and the Ifj hopes that other European countries will follow these examples of housing persecuted journalists.

Henriette Ekwe to be crowned for democracy and freedom of the press victory

Cameroonian veteran journalist Henriette Ekwe, Publisher of Bebela, and the first female vice president of the first union of Cameroonian journalists elected in July 12, 2008 during the fifth  ordinary general assembly in Yaounde, has been selected to receive an Award for International Women of Courage from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on March 8 in Washington, D.C. 

Ekwe, editor of Bebela, a daily newspaper published in Cameroon,  is one of ten women around the world who has been selected by the U.S. Department of State to receive this award in 2011. She will represent the whole Africa continent at that event and this for the first time since 2007.

Started in 2007 by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary’s International Women of Courage awards have honored women each year from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for human rights, social justice, and women’s equality and advancement.

And Cameroon is leading the way this year with Henriette Ekwe.

" Henriette was selected because of her sustained and exceptional courage, commitment, and leadership in promoting democracy, transparency, human rights, and the rule of law in Cameroon.  She is a living testimony of the courage of women around the world who are fighting for social justice and political freedom.  Cameroon should be proud of her, and we hope this award will inspire Cameroonians to participate actively in the continued development of democracy in Cameroon.  In the late-1980s and early 1990s, Henriette was forced into hiding, was the victim of physical abuse, and was imprisoned for opposing the one-party system.  Since then she has continued to promote democracy and good governance in Cameroon in the face of continued threats and harassment.  We hope Henriette’s life-long commitment to democracy will inspire Cameroonians to register to vote and to participate fully in Cameroon’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections.” according to Robert P. Jackson, the US ambassador in Cameroon and also that "Ms. Ekwe was selected because of the important role she has played in advancing freedom of the press and in organizations such as Transparency International, the Cameroon Union of Journalists, and the Coalition for Transparency."

On Monday, March 7, Secretary Clinton will deliver remarks at the launch of the 100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges, spearheaded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, at the Department of State.

The Department of State and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day on March 8 with a series of events this week.

On Tuesday, March 8, Secretary Clinton will host the 2011 International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony with special guest First Lady Michelle Obama, at the Department of State. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and other U.S. and foreign dignitaries will also participate.

This will be another opportunity for the journalist and human rights activist  to explain to the  world what it is going exactly in Cameroon and how Biya administration is continuing to arrest and detain unlawfully journalists while just trying to do their job.

 And also an opportunity as well to show the world that women in Cameroon are still struggling to have their rights respected and also still have to fight to have their voice being heard by others. Its will be a great and huge challenge for her to highlight the real image of Biya authoritarian reign in Cameroon. This will be another big blow for the corrupted Biya regime.



Another journalist arrested in Cameroon

Raphael Nkamtchuen editor of La Boussole, a daily newspaper published in Cameroon has been arrested by the military police on the 17 February after a friendly visit to a former economics and finance minister Abah Abah who is in detention and accused of corruption and embezzlement.

 Raphael has a permission to visit the prisoner in jail and after his visit he was arrested according to his wife Mrs Etchong Nguinda Michelle.


 Speaking on the phone, she said that her husband has spent three days without having a shower and even has to spent the night sleeping on the ground floor and no familial visit is allowed since he was detained by the military police in Kondengui region in the capital city of Cameroon.

He has been facing tough interrogation about documents that have been given to him by the former government minister, mental torture and human rights abuses are been used against him.

Authorities want him to release documents that he was given by the former minister now prisoner and awaiting final decision from his trial that still pending.

In Cameroon in order to visit someone in prison you must have a visit permit delivered by the department of justice and the editor according to his wife has that permit.

 It said that Raphael has been giving confidential documents that could bring alight more details about corruption in the heart of Biya regime and it is why he is been held without charges in detention.

 This is another blow for the freedom of information in Cameroon and also for investigative journalism that still danger to practice under Biya 29`s year reign.

Many journalist associations around the world now are asking for his immediate release from unlawful arrest and arbitrary detention.

NUJ - National Union of Journalists

NUJ - National Union of Journalists

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