Journalists in the NW region of Cameroon have been mounting pressure on the state to release their colleague, Wawa Jackson Nfor said to have been arrested without any warrant on 30th August 2018 and has since then been illegally incacerated at the Nkambe Principal prison in Donga Mantung Division.
According to Mimi Mefo Info, one of the leading social media sites that's been consistently covering the ongoing Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, the high court of Donga Mantung seated at Nkambe in the North West region has for one year five months denied to render justice for Bamenda based journalist, Wawa Jackson Nfor. The case has been pending before the court since May last year. He is being tried for publishing successionist information.
Media practitioners within the region have since then been consolidating efforts to free him to know avail. According to Hilltop Voices Cameroon a Bamenda based news blog, the combined campaign by the NW chapters of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists CAMASEJ, Cameroon Community Media Network CCMN NW/W and Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union CJTU/SNJC, have been using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and traditional media to demand the release of Wawa Jackson. The Campaign for his release by NW media according to Hilltop Voices comes after a solidarity action that raised over 130 FCFA for the up keep of Journalist Wawa in detention.
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| Campaign Poster |
As the campaign is being recently intensified on social media, other continental and global journalism bodies have been cuing in. African Journalists' Platform has added its voice to the ongoing social media campaign championed by journalists in the NW region of Cameroon to pressure for the release of their colleague, Wawa Jackson Nfor arrested in the course of the ongoing Anglophone crisis and detained incommunicado in Nkambe Central Prison for close to two years now. Mike Odeh James of the platform has told the Cameroonian authorities and the separatist groups that, "Journalists are important catalysts for democracy and one of its most vital tenets which is accountability. Every progressive human society requires a robust press to inform, educate and enlighten its people" He adds that "As a journalism practitioner I call upon the Cameroonian government and international community to intervene and ensure that justice for Wawa prevails. Let pen pushers in Cameroon be free to do their rightful and constitutional duties"
In addition, the Society of African Journalists, SAJ has condemned the reported arrest and incarceration of Bamenda based journalist in Cameroon Wawa Jackson by the Cameroonian government. In a statement signed by Michael Adeboboye, acting President of SAJ, the organisation calls for the immediate revocation of all the charges levelled against Wawa as they hold no water. Adeboboye, said "Attempts by the Cameroonian government to gag the press is demonstrated by the condemnable track record which has seen it jailing more than 12 journalists since 2016.” He added that Wawa should be immediately released from detention, frowning at the denial of the journalist’s basic human rights.
Using the hash tag #FreeWawaJackson accompanied with his picture, write ups, and journalistic quotations, the concerned journalists in Bamenda and beyond have been on several social media sites, twitting and tagging concerned institutions like the presidency of the republic and the ministry of communication to look into their demand.
Akah Rosaline Obah is the NW/W Chapter President of the Cameroon Community Media Network, one of those involved in the #FreeWawaJakson campaign. Evaluating the outcome of the process so far, she said "It's a laudable idea because united we stand divided we fall and I believe that when concerted efforts are put in, definitely the powers that be will always listen to the demands and worries." As a digital rights activitist, she added that "One of the human rights principles indicates that he has the right to his freedom until proven guilty. Staying there for 17 months and we are not hearing anything is not fair to him as a human being. His rights have been trampled upon" Rose ended by wishing journalists don't stop at anything but to continue with the campaign until Wawa Jackson is released.
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| Akah Rosaline Obah, Digital Rights Activist, President, CCMN NW/W |
In a report written by Angela Quintal, Africa Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on October 29, 2019 titled African Union Must Act on Cameroon’s Human Rights Violations, she reveals that the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 64 other civil society organizations in calling on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) to address serious and systematic human rights violations in Cameroon, including the jailing of journalists. In a letter to the commission, CPJ and other signatories noted that over the past three years, violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions has led to 3,000 deaths, forced half a million people to flee their homes, and left over 700,000 children out of school." The report also said several journalists are behind bars, according to CPJ research. These include Paul Chouta, Mancho Bibixy, Tsi Conrad , Thomas Awah Junior, Amadou Vamoulke, Wawa Jackson Nfor and Samuel Wazizi, who has not been heard of since he was detained by the military on August 2.
Despite these calls, the government has maintained sealed lips on the case yet the journalists have resolved to continue mounting pressure until their colleague Wawa Jackson is freed together with other journalists behind bars. It should be recalled that the Head of State Paul Biya on Thursday December 13 2018 ordered for the discontinuance of proceedings pending before military tribunals against some 289 Anglophone activists arrested for misdemeanours in connection to the crisis in the North West and South West region. Unfortunately, Wawa Jackson wasn't released like Akumbom Elvis McCarthy, detained journalist at the Bamenda central prison that regained his freedom via the presidential decision. Again, on Thursday October 3rd 2019, President Paul repeated his decision, this time around for 333 arrested persons and again, Wawa Jackson was not released, contrary to the presidential order. Why? Somebody somewhere has to answer.
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