Members of European Parliament call to free Eskinder

On December 18, 16 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) wrote an open letterto Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn calling for the immediate release of the independent journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega, who was condemnedin July to 18 years in prison under the country's tough 2009 anti-terrorism legislation.

More can be done to get justice for Deyda Hydara

Deyda Hydara and his wife Maria circa 1989 (Hydara family)

In the eight years since unidentified assailants shot and killed Deyda Hydara of the Gambia, no one has been held to account. The late 2004 murder of Hydara, an immensely respected editor, columnist, and press freedom advocate known for his criticism of President Yahya Jammeh's repressive media policies, became a rallying point for Gambian journalists and the human rights community--a symbol of the violent means by which activists and journalists are silenced and of the impunity that envelops acts of intimidation, ranging from arson to torture and murder.

President Yayi Boni causes suspension of two television programmes

 

The High Authority for Broadcasting and Communication (HAAC), the media regulatory body, on November 22, 2012 announced the suspension of two interactive programmes, Actu matin and Arbre à Palabre, both on privately-owned television station, Canal 3 Benin, upon the request of Dr. Thomas Yayi Boni, President of the Republic of Benin.