Cameroon: Concern for jailed journalist

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT UPDATE - CAMEROON

24 January 2005

Publisher's imprisonment extended by five months; CPJ calls for release of
jailed publication director

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**Updates IFEX alert on the Tayu case of 8 December 2004; for further
information on the Koum case, see alert of 19 January 2005**

(CPJ/IFEX) - In a 21 January 2005 letter to President Paul Biya, CPJ
expressed deep concern over the recent jailing of Jules Koum Koum,
publication director of the private bimonthly "Le Jeune Observateur", on
criminal defamation charges. Two journalists are now imprisoned in Cameroon
for their work.

On 10 January, Koum was sentenced to six months in prison for allegedly
defaming the CPA insurance company in an article published in February 2004.
Local sources say the article was titled: "Are CPA and Satellite reliable
insurance companies?" Koum has been imprisoned since the verdict in the New
Bell jail, in the southwestern port city of Douala.

Eric Wirkwa Tayu, publisher of the small private newspaper "Nso Voice",
which is based in the western town of Kumbo, has been languishing in prison
since 28 July, when he was convicted of defaming Kumbo's mayor, Donatus
Njong Fonyuy, in articles alleging corruption.

Tayu was sentenced to five months in prison, in addition to a fine of
500,000 CFA francs (about US$893). When he was unable to pay the fine, his
imprisonment was extended by five months.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to the president:
- condemning the imprisonment of Koum and Tayu
- noting that journalists should never be jailed for what they write and
that the right of citizens to seek redress for alleged libel should be a
civil, not criminal, matter
- calling on him to do everything in his power to see that Koum and Tayu are
immediately released from prison, and that all criminal charges against them
are dropped
- urging his government to work toward decriminalizing all press offenses
and to allow journalists in Cameroon to practice their profession freely,
without fear of state censorship or reprisals

APPEALS TO:

President Paul Biya
C/o The Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon
2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C.
20008
Fax: +1 202 387 3826

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford
or Alexis Arieff at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel:
+1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: [email protected],
Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit CPJ.
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