Press Freedom
CPJ Updates
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- Trial of detained Nicaraguan journalists Lucía Pineda and Miguel Mora indefinitely delayed
- Editor-in-chief of Mexican newspaper Reforma targeted by death threats following criticism from president
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- Two journalists arrested covering yellow vest protests in France
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- Myanmar military sues The Irrawaddy for criminal defamation over conflict coverage
- #WeStandWithLyra
Reporter Without Borders
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- US – #WeeklyAddress: June 17 – June 23: Attendee at Trump rally arrested for assaulting Orlando Sentinel reporter
- RSF urges Mauritania to restore mobile Internet
- Many journalists injured during protest outside Georgian parliament
- Second journalist murdered in Rio de Janeiro state in less than a month
- Azerbaijani reporter facing possible life sentence on treason charge
- Egypt suppresses domestic media coverage of Morsi death
- Outgoing Mauritanian president urged to free blogger before handing over
Nigeria November 22, 2006
H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo
Head of State
State House, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory
Federal Repubic of Nigeria
Fax: (011.234.9) 523-2136
Your Excellency:
The Overseas Press Club of America, an independent group of international correspondents, is dismayed to hear that sedition charges against Rotimi Durojaiye of the Daily Independent have not been dropped. Instead, the charges against him have been referred to a federal appeals court because prosecutors say he is not “remorseful.”
The charges against Durojaiye’s stem from his June 12 th story questioning the age and cost of the presidential jet. His story revealed that the federal government had not purchased a new Boeing jet, as had been officially reported, but a five-year-old airplane from Lufthansa. The story was later picked up by African Independent Television (AIT). Charges were subsequently brought against AIT presenter, Mike Gbenga Aruleba.
Aruleba and Durojaiye subsequently spent several days in jail in connection with the charges. In October, an Abuja court dropped charges against Aruleba and his news organization because they had shown “sufficient remorse,” according to prosecutors. But Mr. Durojaiye’s charges remained.
It is appalling that the federal government is punishing Durojaiye and attempting to suppress an embarrassing story ahead of next year’s elections. Nigeria ‘s reputation as a democracy is harmed by the charges against our colleague. We urge you to do all in your power to see that this injustice is ended, as it has been for our other colleague, Mike Aruleba.
We hope for the honor of a reply.
Respectfully yours,
Kevin McDermott
Norman A. Schorr
Co-chairmen – Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
George Obiozor
Ambassador of Nigeria to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
1333 16th Street, NW
Washington , DC 20036
Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
to the United Nations
828 Second Avenue
New York , NY 10017
Fax: (212) 697-1970
John Campbell
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria
Embassy of the United States of America
P.O. Box 554
Lagos
Nigeria