Journalists march in solidarity

NAMIBIAN journalists held a silent demonstration yesterday calling for an end to impunity for crimes against journalists the world over.

In 2018/19, Unesco recorded that a total of 156 journalists were killed for doing their work worldwide. Overall, over the past decade, a journalist has been killed every four days, on average.

The year 2019 shows the lowest death figures in the last decade, with 57 deaths.

The peaceful demonstration coincided with the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) for Crimes Against Journalists on 2 November. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly after two French journalists were assassinated in Mali.

This is the first time Namibian journalists have observed the day because the country has a relatively free environment for media to operate.

Speaking at the demonstration, Namibia Media Trust director Zoé Titus said Namibian journalists cannot ignore it when colleagues elsewhere are killed, languish in jails and live in fear of persecution simply for doing their jobs.

“Today we say to journalists all over the world, who are facing persecution for doing their jobs, they are not alone. We stand with them! Today is a day of reflection. It is an opportunity to focus our attention on journalists who are being persecuted, who have disappeared or have been killed – with priority given to the numerous unsolved crimes against journalists,” she added.

Titus stressed that it is important to reflect on the pervasive nature of impunity, as it is not something that emerges overnight.

“The culture of impunity intensifies over a lengthy period of time when people in positions of power and authority continue unchecked for crimes committed against journalists.”

Standing in solidarity, Namibian journalists called for Cameroonian writer Samuel Wazizi’s death to be solved. Wazizi reportedly died while being detained by the military police in 2019. His body has not been returned for his family for burial and no investigations have taken place to bring culprits to book.

There was also a call to the Mozambican government to seriously investigate the disappearance of Ibraimo Abu Mbaruco who went missing on 7 April this year.

The journalists also demanded updates on investigations in the murders of undercover Ghanian journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale, Marko Agei Makoor in South Sudan and 70-year-old Nigerian journalist Benjamin Ekom.

Speaking to yesterday, Editor’s Forum of Namibia secretary general Ronelle Rademeyer noted that the solidarity demonstration is an awareness that local journalists should not rest on their laurels despite their working environment being safe.

“We may be number one in terms of press freedom in Africa, but we have seen the treatment of journalists in the past year and tensions between the press office of the Presidency and journalists,” she noted.

Rademeyer added that the march set a tone for the World Press Freedom Day that will be held in Namibia next year. The 2021 commemoration is in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press.

“Namibia 30 years ago played a very important role in that declaration,” Rademeyer said.

Journalist Augetto Graig added that journalism worldwide is under threat because it embodies the human right to decide for one self.

He said journalists are an easy target for the powerful and are attacked with impunity. “We are fortunate in Namibia that our head of state currently supports press freedom, but there is no guarantee that it will remain this way. If we remain silent while journalists are killed, or simply disappear, are imprisoned or fired for asking the wrong question, we resign ourselves to the same fate, sooner or later,” he added.

NMT executive chairperson Gwen Lister stressed that the commemoration focuses on the safety of journalists. She said even though Namibian journalists have not been killed since independence, they should not forget their colleagues all over the world under draconian regimes.

“It is very important for journalists, just like for every other profession in the world, that we should be allowed to do our job safely,” Lister said.