| Liberia Archives 1995-1996 | |
| 15/12/95 | LIBERIA: CPJ confirms four 1995 attacks on the press |
| I nternational Freedom of Expression eXchange Clearing House ORIGINATOR: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York On 29 September 1995, James Momoh, a photojournalist for the independent newspaper “The Inquirer”, travelled outside the Liberian capital, Monrovia, to the Firestone Plantation to photograph soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia disengaging a checkpoint. He was given permission to photograph the area after briefing a commander of the West African peacekeeping force (ECOMOG) about the purpose of his visit. The Senior Officer of the Nigerian contingent of ECOMOG later stopped him and demanded to know who had given him authorization to photograph the area. Refusing to listen to Momoh, the commander instructed his soldiers to beat him. They also seized his camera and film, and ordered him to leave the area without delay. Momoh returned to Monrovia the same day and received medical treatment. Momoh filed a formal complaint the following day at ECOMOG headquarters in Monrovia, with Press Secretary Frank Akinlola. Akinlola told him that an investigation would be conducted. Nothing conclusive has been reported, and his camera and film have yet to be returned. On 6 April, Benjamin Wilson, a journalist with the independent weekly “The Eye”, was covering the damages done by Sierra Leonean refugees to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) compound in Monrovia, when he was beaten by four police guards under the command of police commander Captain William Flomo. Wilson had taken a picture of the damage. When he resisted giving it up to police, they fired tear gas on him at close range and beat him with a baton. The camera was never returned, and no apology rendered (as no complaint was filed). On 29 July, reporter Bill Jarkloh, who worked for the bi-weekly “The News” at the time, was beaten unconscious by fighters loyal to the Krahn faction of the United Liberation Movement (ULIMO-K). He was conducting an interview with ULIMO-K leader Roosevelt Johnson at his Monrovia residence, when fighters stormed the place demanding that Johnson return to his headquarters in Tubmanburg. When Jarkloh attempted to take snapshots of the riot, his camera and tape recorder were confiscated before he was beaten with an iron rod. West African peacekeepers arrested three combatants for the attack. They were turned over to ULIMO-K high command. Johnson apologized for his soldiers’ attack and ensured the return of his camera, yet made no conclusive remarks about penalizing Jarkloh’s attackers. On 26 April, a police major at the Labour Ministry in Monrovia attacked British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stringer Budu Kaiser for attempting to retrieve his identification credentials from an officer who refused to return them. Upon widespread reports of the beating, Liberia’s National Police Director disrobed the officer and jailed him for several hours. He was reinstated on the force, even after promises of a trial. Labour Minister Thomas Woewiyu issued an apology for the attack. It is still not confirmed whether Woewiyu issued the order for the attack. For further information, contact Kakuna Kerina (x 103) or Azeen Salimi (x 118) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave, New York NY 10001, U.S.A., tel:+1 212 465 1004, fax:+1 212 465 9568, e-mail: africa@cpj.org, asalimi@cpj.org. The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of its originator. ******************************************************** |
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