NIGERIA: EDITOR JAILED FOR DEFAMING PRESIDENT; LIBERALISATION OF MEDIA LAWS PROMISED
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has brought charges of criminal defamation against journalist Nnamdi Onyenua, report the Independent Journalism Centre (IJC), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). Onyenua, editor of the weekly, Lagos-based magazine "Glamour Trends", was arrested on 8 June. The charges resulted from an article entitled "Secrets Behind Obasanjo's Trips" that appeared in the magazine's 6 June edition.
According to CPJ, the article
alleged that the president receives US$1 million in allowances for each
overseas trip and that he had amassed US$58 million in allowances over two
years. Onyenua was detained for more than eleven days without formal
charges, in violation of Nigerian law, notes CPJ. He was not arraigned until
19 June, when he was charged with publishing false information and defaming
the president. On or about 21 June, he was released on bail.
"While Nigeria's vibrant press is once again covering important political
and economic issues under the president's administration, journalists still
face legal restrictions and periodic hostility," says CPJ. The organisation
notes that despite constitutional guarantees of press freedom, harsh
criminal defamation laws remain on the books. Publishers can also be jailed
for up to three years and fined substantial sums for failing to register
with the newly formed government Press Council. Both WAN and CPJ call for
the repeal of Nigeria's criminal defamation laws.
Meanwhile, IJC reports in its 11 June "Media Monitor" that Nigeria's
legislature has promised to repeal "all obnoxious laws inhibiting press
freedom in the country." During festivities marking the 75th anniversary of
the "Daily Times", the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar
Na'abba, said that the House Committee on the Judiciary and Human Rights
would identify the laws that contradict the spirit of the constitution and
repeal them. The Speaker further promised that before the end of the year,
the House of Representatives would pass a Freedom of Access to Information
Bill to liberalise the media conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: Materials by sources other than Derechos distributed in this
mailing list do not necessarily imply the endorsement of Derechos
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
If you need help, e-mail: [email protected]