cameroon: editor arrested for speculating on succession
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has warned that press freedom in Cameroon has sharply deteriorated with the arrest of Haman Mana, editor of the country's only privately-owned daily newspaper, "Mutations", and the seizure of the paper's 14 April issue.
16 April 2003
Editor of private daily "Mutations" arrested for speculating on President
Biya's succession
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
(RSF/IFEX) - On 15 April 2003, RSF warned that press freedom in Cameroon has
sharply deteriorated with the arrest of Haman Mana, editor of the country's
only privately-owned daily newspaper, "Mutations", and the seizure of the
paper's 14 April issue.
"For the past few months, the authorities have taken a tough line with the
independent and opposition media, undoubtedly because of next year's
presidential election," said RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. "Working
conditions for journalists improved last year but now things are
deteriorating and people fear a return to the very repressive period of the
mid-1990s," he added.
Ménard urged President Paul Biya to do all he could to ensure the release of
Mana, who was arrested at the paper's offices in Yaounde on 14 April. He was
not formally charged, but the paper's staff said the police mentioned that a
complaint had been filed by the president's office. Mana is being held at
Yaounde police headquarters and is not allowed any visitors.
During the night of 13 April, the computer disk containing the next day's
issue of "Mutations" was seized by police at the printers (Sopecam) on the
orders of Defence Secretary Remy Ze Maka. Two printing foremen, Moïse Moundi
and Etienne Kenfack, were questioned for several hours at Defence Ministry
offices and roughed up by police. Sopecam prints Cameroon's two daily
newspapers, "Mutations" and the government paper "Cameroon Tribune".
The 14 April issue of "Mutations" (available on the website
www.quotidienmutations.net) contained an in-depth report on President Biya's
succession. The paper's front-page headline was "After Biya: the
uncertainties of an era that is ending." Shortly before he was arrested,
Mana told Agence France-Presse that the report appeared to be the reason for
the seizure. Biya, in power since 1982, has not yet said whether he will
stand in the 2004 election.
In March, RSF protested the closure of the Magic FM radio station and two
privately-owned television stations, RTA and Canal 2 (see IFEX alerts of 19
and 17 March 2003).
For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.rsf.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
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