Press Freedom
CPJ Updates
- Hundreds of jailed journalists the new norm, CPJ census finds
- Hundreds of journalists jailed globally becomes the new normal
- Serbian investigative journalist targeted with arson attack
- CPJ to release annual report on killed journalists
- Militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham threatens to execute Syrian journalist Amjed al-Maleh
- Israel raids Palestinian news agency, detains journalist in the West Bank
- Major setback for press freedom in Canada
- Nicaraguan police raid independent Radio Dario
- CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering protests in France and Belgium
Reporter Without Borders
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- RSF calls for Puntland policeman’s arrest for trying to murder journalist
- Egypt : Wael Abbas and Momen Hassan finally released, RSF calls for the withdrawal of all charges against them
- SAUDI ARABIA: Eight measures to end human rights crisis in Saudi Arabia
- Bahraini photographer sentenced to more than 100 years in prison
- RSF decries blocking of 54 Bangladeshi news sites before election
- Time is pressing, 20 years after Burkinabe journalist’s murder
- German journalist held in Venezuela facing 28 years in prison on spying charges
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