Sensitivity against Al-Shabaab is badly affecting the press freedom in east Africa
This recent arrest comes in the context of series of arbitrary arrests against independent journalists on charges related to terrorism supporting, this accusation, which appears to be “The favorite accusation” by oppressive regimes in the region to ensure that silencing the voices of opposition groups or independent voices pass unnoticed.
The Burundian Journalist Jean Claude Kavumbagu was arrested by Burundi’s secret service agents on July last year after he published a report in his independent news website “Net Press”. In that report which was written in “French”, he questioned the Burundian Security Institutions ability to face Al-Shabaab threats directed at Bujumbura considering their limited experience on Al-Qaida terrorism confronting strategies. He claimed that the Burundian Government is treating Al-Shabaab threats lazily and stressed that Al-Shabaab is different than the opposition rebel groups that the government used to deal with in the past considering Al-shabaab’s affiliation with Al-Qaida and International terrorism networks, and the ideology component attached to it and more importantly the possibility of young Brundian Muslim youths recruitment by Al-Shabaab to carry out attacks against their own country, he ended his report by questioning the real reasons behind the Burundian involvement in Somalia despite the fact that there is no clear understandable national Burundian interests there which may require military presence.
Shortly after that report came to light, the opposition groups received it with special interest, and tens of independent Burundian websites mostly run from abroad started circulating the report, and its only then when it caught the attention of Burundian Government.
According to some local Burundian newspapers, the Burundian state prosecutors stressed that Mr. Kavumbagu must be sentenced to live imprisonment, they accused him of national treason, supporting Al-Shabaab and International Terrorism despite the strange circumstances surrounding that accusation. It’s very obvious from the beginning that Mr.Kavumbagu the journalist doesn’t fit the image preterit about him by state persecutors as “fervent Al-Shabaab supporter”, He neither has any typical characteristics of Islamic fundamentalist nor he is Muslim.
During the court proceedings, His legal defense team argued that the Burundian government is not fighting “another country” but rather a criminal terrorist organization based abroad therefore Mr.Kavumbagu can not be accused of national treason, they described all the said accusations as baseless accusations and urged the Burundian government to produce solid verifiable evidences.
This recent arrest comes in the context of series of arbitrary arrests against independent journalists on charges related to terrorism supporting, this accusation, which appears to be “The favorite accusation” by oppressive regimes in the region to ensure that silencing the voices of opposition groups or independent voices pass unnoticed.
In Somalia’s semi autonomous region of Puntland, The Independent Journalist and owner of Horseed Media House (Abdi Fatah Jama Mire) which operates a website and local radio station in “Bosaso” the capital city of Puntland was arrested last year and sentenced up to six years in prison for airing telephone interview with Mohamed Said Atam, the leader of Galgala mountains rebel group who is viewed by Puntland and other regional actors as Al-Shabaab’s strong ally in Puntland. He was later released after long, arduous and tiring efforts from local and international Journalism protection organizations, notably NUSOJ, MAP,CPJ, IFJ, RSF and others.
In another incident related to this theme, Mogadishu based Independent radio station (Kulmiye Radio) was closed on early March this year by the transitional federal government of Somalia(TFGS) for broadcasting an interview with Al-Shabaab defectors mostly child soldiers who complained about unfulfilled promises by TFGS, they explained their harsh living conditions inside TFGS run prisons where they face different types of physical abuses and allegedly they’ve been systematically subjected to harsh treatment by their Jailers. With no enough food and prober health care they choose to bring their issues to Radio Kulmiye. Soon after the report was aired, the TFG moved aggressively and closed down the radio station.
In conclusion, it appears that there is rising trend of media freedom oppression by the authorities in the region using the climate of fear and national security concerns as an excuse to oppress media freedom and limit the free unbiased access to information which is one of the basic fundamental human rights. Certainly more efforts is needed to make sure that the basic human rights are respected by all actors in this volatile region, fighting terrorism can not be used as an excuse to oppress media freedom because at the end of the day governments only cannot fight terrorism alone and local residents participation is crucially needed to participate in any future anti terrorism efforts, in many notable cases around the world residents vigilance stood as protective factor against numerous possible terrorist attacks, however if the local residents possibility to receive credible information is limited, this will harm the Anti-Terrorism efforts from People’s prospective.
By: Abdi www.mareeg.com
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2011, https:. All rights reserved.
