Action Alerts are factual reports on torture and detention of journalists; besides, repressive government measures to muzzle journalists and restrict independent media are also closely monitored. The aim of all of this is to stand up for the freedom of expression and the right to information for everybody (section 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
A major organisation involved in the dissemination of this information is Canada-based IFEX, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange. The Action Alert Network is one of the central components of IFEX. IFEX member organisations submit almost daily reports about violations in their own region to the head offices; the head offices subsequently circulate the information electronically to various parts of the world.
New members that have never drawn up Action Alerts are offered training by IFEX. It is thanks to this support that one of NiZA’s new partners, Journalist En Dangers (JED), is now also involved in reporting press freedom violations from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). MISA’s head office in Namibia, responsible for Actions Alerts regarding the media situation in southern Africa, has been a member of IFEX since a few years.
Remarks
The globally disseminated Action Alerts draw the attention to violations of the freedom of the press. A few remarks can be made though. Actual co-ordinated follow-up action is rare in comparison with the stream of worrying information, and so are concrete legal assistance to journalists and punitive sanctions against the culprits.
There are exceptions, of course. The Committee to Protect Journalists, an internationally respected organisation that is based in Canada, sends complaints signed by officials to those violating the freedom of the press. ‘Article 19’ institutes legal proceedings whenever possible and strengthens the capacity of local media to monitor and protest against institutional and informal censorship. In the Netherlands the Dutch Journalists’ Association maintains a fund that enables it to come to the rescue of threatened journalists.
Local organisations are also active in southern Africa. In March JED took up arms against the DRC government’s taking the ‘Amazone’ radio and TV station off the air. MISA Zimbabwe, among other things, established a ‘Legal Defence Fund’, while FXI supports legal aid counsel to journalists.
Lacking sanctions
These are important initiatives which merit to be internationally supported, legally, financially and politically, to a much greater extent than they are at present, not only by journalists, donors, lawyers and human rights organisations, but also by the United Nations and the governments that have signed international conventions on the Freedom of Expression. Resolutions could be adopted and sanctions applied against governments that violate these conventions.
This is why MISA wants to call a greater deal of attention within southern Africa to the increasing numbers of journalists in the region that are being muzzled. On May 3rd, International Freedom of Expression Day, it will launch a grand campaign entitled ‘Journalist under Fire’.
Journalist under Fire
MISA also wants to appeal to Western organisations to support ‘Journalist under Fire’. Presently the international support comes solely from Dutch journalists. This approach carries the major advantage, when compared with initiatives like those mentioned above, that it is centred on one region only; hopefully this will lead to the development of sustained exchanges of information and contacts, and consequently a mutual involvement with one another between journalists in southern Africa and the Netherlands. NiZA acts as an intermediary in the Netherlands.
Kees Schaepman, a Dutch journalist, and NiZA’s media expert Jeanette Minnie are involved in the initiative. Last year they, together with MISA, gave a workshop in South Africa aimed at getting to know from media organisations at the spot what type of support they expect of Dutch journalists.
Exchanges
‘What our colleagues in southern Africa wanted most was for us to provide funding for journalists who are in jail and need proper legal counsel. A so-called "Legal Defence Fund" like the one put up by MISA Zimbabwe,’ Kees Schaepman explains.
Schaepman emphasises that such funds only make sense if a system is in place in southern Africa for effectively channelling money to where it is most needed. Therefore MISA has reserved more staff time to developing the ‘Journalist under Fire’ campaign and setting up exchanges with colleagues in the Netherlands.
Together with NiZA Kees Schaepman will organise a workshop for Dutch journalists, to discuss the question of how they can actually implement the ‘Journalist under Fire’ project at the Dutch side, in co-operation with existing and active organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Dutch Journalists’ Association and Article 19.
A follow-up workshop with Kees Schaepman and Jeanette Minnie is scheduled for May and will again be organised by MISA, aiming at once again discussing the issue of how to implement the Dutch–Southern African project in more concrete ways.
Yvonne Heselmans is a project officer working for NiZA’s Media Programme, and specialising in advocacy issues. yvonne@niza.nl
More information:
International Freedom of Expression Exchange www.ifex.org
Reporters sans Frontières www.rsf.fr
Journaliste en danger www.jed-congo.org
Article 19 www.article19.org
Committee to Protect Journalists www.cpj.org
Dutch Association for Journalists www.villamedia.nl
