H. E. Paul Biya
President of the Republic of Cameroon
Presidential Palace
Yaoundé
Cameroon

Vienna, 8 October 1996

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, strongly condemns the sentencing of two journalists from the newspaper La Messager to prison terms of six and twelve months respectively.

On 3 October 1996 the Appeals Court in Douala sentenced publisher Pius Njawe to six months’ imprisonment and a 100,000 CFA franc (US$ 200) fine, and a journalist Eyoum Ngangue to one year in prison and a 300,000 CFA fine, after they appealed against an earlier verdict imposing a 2.5 million CFA fine.

The court also issued a warrant for the arrest of Messrs Njawe and Ngangue, who were charged with insulting the president and members of the National Assembly and for disseminating “false news” in an article published in December 1995. We understand that the prosecution of the two journalists was undertaken by the public prosecutor’s office without any complaint having been received from the president or members of the National Assembly.

IPI regards these actions, the latest in a series of attempts by the authorities to silence the critical voice of Le Messager in particular and the independent Cameroonian press in general, to be in violation of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, adopted by the Organization of African Unity (OAU).We therefore strongly urge Your Excellency to do everything in your power to ensure that the sentences brought against Messrs Njawe and Ngangue are overturned and that members of the independent press in Cameroon are allowed to carry out their profession without further harassment.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director