Liberia: Letter to President Charles Taylor
Your Excellency, The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the recent closure of The Analyst, an independent newspaper based in the capital, Monrovia. During the early morning hours of April 25, police shut down The Analyst and ransacked the publication's offices. According to an Associated Press (AP) report, Monrovia police chief Paul Mulbah said the ban was permanent and refused to give reasons for the closure. "The paper is closed and will not print again. This is a government order," Mulbah told the AP.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT UPDATE - LIBERIA
6 May 2002
Government ban on newspaper said to be permanent
SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York
**Updates IFEX alert of 29 April 2002. For further information on the
previous shutdown of "The Analyst", see alerts of 22 and 13 February 2002**
(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ letter to Liberian President Charles G.
Taylor:
May 6, 2002
His Excellency Charles G. Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
Via Facsimile: 231-225-217
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the recent
closure of The Analyst, an independent newspaper based in the capital,
Monrovia.
During the early morning hours of April 25, police shut down The Analyst and
ransacked the publication's offices. According to an Associated Press (AP)
report, Monrovia police chief Paul Mulbah said the ban was permanent and
refused to give reasons for the closure. "The paper is closed and will not
print again. This is a government order," Mulbah told the AP.
According to sources at the paper, the officers did not have documentation
authorizing them to close the paper and raid the offices.
Local sources suspect the shutdown came because the paper's April 25 edition
contained an interview with Liberian human rights lawyer Tiawan Gongloe, who
had been arrested the previous day for making statements that allegedly
"undermined the government" and were "inimical to state security."
In that same issue, the regular column "Memo to the President" analyzed Your
Excellency's alleged shortcomings and those of previous Liberian heads of
state.
This is the second time this year that The Analyst has been shut down. On
February 12, police ordered the newspaper to cease publishing after it ran
articles criticizing the state of emergency that Your Excellency declared on
February 8. The suspension was lifted a week later.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to promoting and defending press
freedom worldwide, CPJ condemns such attacks on the independent press. We
urge you to ensure that independent media outlets are not harassed, and to
allow Liberian journalists to practice their profession without fear of
reprisal.
Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters. We await your reply.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
CC:
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Amnesty International
Article 19 (United Kingdom)
Artikel 19 (The Netherlands)
Canadian Committee To Protect Journalists
Congressional Committee to Support Writers and Journalists
Freedom House
Human Rights Watch
Index on Censorship
International Association of Broadcasting
International Federation of Journalists
International Federation of Newspaper Publishers
International Journalism Institute
International PEN
International Press Institute
National Association of Black Journalists
National Press Club
Newspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Guild
North American National Broadcasters Association
Reporters sans Frontières
Overseas Press Club
The Society of Professional Journalists
World Press Freedom Committee
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Similar appeals can be sent to:
His Excellency Charles G. Taylor
President of the Republic of Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia
Fax: +231 225 217
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (ext. 112) or Wacuka Mungai
(ext. 106) 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], [email protected],
[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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