1 | P a g e Table of Content Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………......2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..3 Methodology………………………………………………………………………………..4 Findings…………………………………………………………………………………......4 Incidents of Freedom of Expression Violations Recorded………………………………… 7 Country-by-Country Analysis of Violations Recorded…..…………………………………. 8 Notable Trends……………………………………………………………………………..14 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….15 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………15

2 | P a g e Executive Summary The African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) is a continental network of some of the leading freedom of expression and media rights groups in Africa that seeks to promote free speech and human rights. AFEX is currently made up of thirteen (13) members that are all members of the Toronto-based global free expression network, IFEX. As part of its free expression and human rights advocacy efforts, AFEX puts together periodic reports that seek to highlight incidents of freedom of expression (FOE) violations and developments in Africa’s media landscape. The Freedom of Expression Situation in Africa Report covers incidents of FOE violations and related developments recorded in 23 countries for the first half of 2017 – January to June. The freedom of expression landscape for the first half of 2017 saw a total of 113 incidents recorded in 23 countries. Security agents were the worst perpetrators of FOE violations and were responsible for a total of 80 violations. State officials and individuals distantly followed with 12 violations each. The courts in various countries accounted for six (6) violations while organised groups and regulatory bodies recorded two (2) and one (1) violation respectively. The most heinous type of violation, killing (6) was recorded in six (6) countries – Guinea, Togo, Sierra Leone, Niger, Nigeria and Somalia. Unfortunately, security agents’ brutalities against protesters in Togo, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Niger claimed the lives of ten (10) persons. Unidentified individuals were the perpetrators of the remaining two incidents which resulted in the killing of one journalist in Nigeria and several citizens in Somalia. These acts of violence also resulted in injuries to several others. All six (6) incidents of killing are yet to be redressed. Journalists, media professionals, human rights activists and ordinary citizens were the major victims of most of the violations recorded for the first half of 2017. Only 10 (9%) out of 113 incidents of violations received redress whiles the remaining 103 (91%) incidents went unpunished. This again brings to light the pervasiveness of impunity for FOE violations and the lack of commitment by African leaders to combat impunity and prioritise the safety of journalists in the region. AFEX is once again calling on governments, security agencies, stakeholders and civil society actors to come together to combat impunity for crimes against journalists and ensure that journalists, media professionals, activists and citizens enjoy their fundamental rights to free speech.

3 | P a g e Introduction Journalists, media professionals, human rights activists and ordinary citizens are sometimes beaten, harassed, arbitrarily arrested and detained, sentenced and, in worst scenarios, killed for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Even though the freedom of expression and media rights environment has improved significantly over the past two decades, violations of FOE rights are still prevalent. Unfortunately, most of the violations go unpunished leaving perpetrators who are most often state security agents emboldened to blatantly violate FOE rights. Such violations cow dissenting voices and nurture a culture of self-censorship which is inimical to democracy and good governance. As part of interventions to mitigate these and other challenges in the FOE and media environment in Africa, the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), a continental network of free expression organisations, monitors the FOE and media landscape to track and report on prevailing and emerging developments and challenges. Findings from the monitoring are collated into periodic publications titled, the Freedom of Expression Situation in Africa Report. The reports are used as reference materials and advocacy tools for the promotion and protection of FOE and media rights in Africa. This edition of the Freedom of Expression Situation in Africa Report (The AFEX FOE Situation Report) covers issues tracked from January to June 2017. Methodology The AFEX network is made up of 13 freedom of expression and media rights organisations spread across South, East, West and Central Africa. While some of the member organisations work in specific countries, others work across sub-regional blocs. On a daily basis, the member organisations monitor the FOE and media landscape in their respective countries and regions and report on them accordingly. The AFEX FOE Situation in Africa Report is compiled using the monitoring reports and statements received from AFEX’s member organisations. The reports from members are complemented through online monitoring and other FOE developments (positive and negative) reported on the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) website by other human rights organisations in Africa. This makes it possible for AFEX to compile reports on countries its member organisations are currently not working on. This report is, thus, based on credible FOE reports gathered over a six-month period (January-June 2017). The incidents cited in the report cover positive and negative developments about freedom of expression (offline and online), freedom of assembly, access to information and media rights in Africa. The term, freedom of expression (FOE), is however used as an umbrella term that covers incidents

4 | P a g e related to the right of people to come together to express their sentiments and needs through protests (freedom of assembly); access to information and media rights. Altogether, 113 incidents of violations were recorded from 23 countries during the first half of 2017. The findings are presented under the following subheadings: Type of violations, perpetrators of violations recorded, target/victim of violations, countries and incidents of violations recorded. Notable freedom of expression and press freedom developments observed during the six-month monitoring period are also highlighted in the report. The report concludes with a number of recommendations for the improvement of the FOE situation in Africa. Findings The FOE environment in Africa in the first half of 2017 (January-June) was not impressive. This was because more FOE violations were cited in January to June, 2017 than the preceding six months (July-December 2016). Even though the number of countries cited in the two periods varies, the record of violations from January to June 2017 (113) was proportionately higher than the record of violations (63) cited six months earlier (July-December 2016). That showed that the FOE situation in Africa in the first half of 2017 did not see improvements. Over the six-month (January-June, 2017) monitoring period, a total of 113 FOE violations were recorded from 23 African countries. Nigeria recorded 23 FOE violations, the highest among the 23 countries. Cameroon and Togo followed with 13 violations each. Somalia and Ghana recorded 10 and 8 incidents respectively. In all, 12 categories of violations were recorded. State security agents were the most dominant perpetrators of the violations. The violations were perpetrated against journalists, media professionals, human rights activists, media organisations and individuals. Although a few of the violations cited were redressed, many remained unaddressed at the time of finalising this report. Details of these broad findings are presented below. Types of Violations Twelve categories of violations were coded during the first half of 2017. Arrests and detentions (32 incidents) and physical attacks (32 incidents) were the main categories of violations often perpetrated. In addition to the worrying incidents of arrests and detentions and physical attacks recorded, there were six incidents of killing in Togo, Guinea, Somalia, Niger, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The other 10 categories of violations recorded and their frequency of incidence are presented in Figure 1 below

5 | P a g e Figure 1: Types of Violations and Number of Incidents Recorded

Perpetrators of Violations Recorded State security agents remain key perpetrators of FOE violations in Africa. They were the major perpetrators of the violations recorded in the period under review (January-June 2017) accounting for 70% (80) of the 113 violations. Police brutalities resulted in the murder of ten (10) protesters and injury of several citizens in Guinea, Togo, Niger and Sierra Leone. Guinea recorded the highest number of deaths during protest. The apparently persistent attacks by state security agents on press freedom and freedom of expression (including expression through protests) is a worrying situation that needs urgent redress. Security agents have a duty and responsibility to protect the rights of citizens and ensure that those rights are respected. In a situation where the security agents are themselves the violators of the rights as observed over the monitoring period and also over the last six months of 2016, targets and victims are left helpless and vulnerable as it becomes unclear to them who to report the violations to.

6 | P a g e Figure 3: Shows details of the number of violations and their perpetrators.

Target/Victims of violations The 113 violations were targeted at journalists, media professionals, human rights activists and individuals. Altogether, 110 journalists and media workers, activists and media organisations were directly affected by the violations recorded. Out of the 110, 99 were journalists and media workers (mostly working with traditional media), and activists. The remaining eleven were media organisations that directly suffered from the violations. In addition to the 110, there was one incident of freedom of assembly right violation and five incidents of network shutdowns which affected unnumbered individuals and populations. In Table 1 below, the victims of the various types of violations cited are detailed out. Where available, the genders of the victims are also provided. Table 1: Types of Violations and Targets/Victims of the Violations Targets/Victims of Violations Type of Violation Male Female Both Male

and Female Media Organisation

Media in General

All Persons

Total

Killed 5 0 1 0 0 0 6 Physical Attack 20 2 5 4 0 0 31 Censorship 4 1 3 1 0 0 9 Arrest and Detention 26 2 4 0 0 0 32 Digital Rights Violations 6 1 0 0 0 3 10 Sentenced 3 2 0 0 0 0 5 Denial to Assemble 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 Ban/Shutdown 0 0 0 6 0 0 6 Interrogation 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

7 | P a g e Threat 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 Seizure/Damage of property 6

0 0 0 0 6

Repressive Law 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Total 76 9 14 11 1 5 114 Countries and Incidents of FOE Violations The 113 FOE violations were recorded in 23 countries spread across East, West, Central and Southern Africa. Nigeria recorded the highest number of violations (23) followed by Cameroon and Somalia with 13 violations each. Togo, Ghana and Guinea recorded 10 8 and 5 violations respectively. Detailed information on the frequency of FOE violations recorded in all the 23 countries are presented in Table 2 below. Table 2: Country and Incidents of Violations Recorded

Country Physical Attack

Arrest & Detention

Censorship Online Violations

Ban/ Shutdown

Killed Seizure/ Damage of Property

Sentenced Threat Denial to Assemble

Interrogation Repressive Law

Total

Nigeria 4 9 4 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 23 Cameroon 1 6 0 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 13 Togo 5 5 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 13 Somalia 5 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 10 Ghana 4 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 Guinea 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 Mali 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 Sierra Leone

1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 The Gambia

1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Mauritania 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 Uganda 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 Burkina Faso

3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 DRC 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 Niger 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 Cote d'Ivoire

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Angola 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Tanzania 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Zambia 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Lesotho 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Benin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Ethiopia 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Malawi 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Senegal 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 1

8 | P a g e

Total 32 32 9 8 7 6 5 5 3 3 2 1 113 Country-by-Country Analyses of Violations This section presents brief country-by-country highlights of the major incidents recorded in the 23 countries cited in this report. The country highlights cover the type of violations, perpetrators and targets/victims of the FOE violations cited in each of the 23 countries. Nigeria During the six-month monitoring period, Nigeria, West Africa’s biggest country, recorded 23 FOE violations, many of which were in the form of arrests and detentions (9). Nigeria’s Criminal Defamation law, which has often been criticised as a tool used to harass media professionals and restrict freedom of expression rights in the country, precipitated 7 of the 9 incidents of arrests and detentions. The country also recorded incidents of censorship (4), physical attacks (4), and online violations (3). Police in Abuja, raided the offices of influential news website, Premium Times and arrested the publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi and the publication’s judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu while the army also raided the premises of The Sun newspaper in a different incident. Security operatives and officials of the State Urban Development Board in North Central Nigeria stormed the premises of privately-owned Breeze FM and razed the building down. The authorities accused the media house of not having a permit. In another incident, the police raided the premises of FreshNews, an online portal, arrested and seized the laptop, mobile phone, file and other official documents belonging to Desmond Utomwen, its publisher. Sadly, unidentified gunmen shot and killed, Famous Giobaro, a journalist working with Glory FM in Yenagoa in the Bayelsa State of Nigeria. Nineteen (19) journalists/media workers and four media organisations suffered the FOE violations recorded in the country which were largely perpetrated by state security agents. Cameroon and Togo Cameroon and Togo recorded 13 of violations each. Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly rights deteriorated sharply in Cameroon in the first half of 2017 as a result of protests in the North-west and South-west regions of Cameroon. A total of 13 violations were recorded. In an attempt to address the crisis, the government shut down the internet in the two predominantly Anglophone regions of the country where the protests were taking place. The internet shutdown (1), which was widely condemned, lasted for approximately three months (94 days). The government also banned (1) activities of the Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC), a civil society group set up to dialogue with the government on the crisis. In addition to the ban, two leaders of the group were also arrested (1) by police for leading activities of the group in North-west and South-west Cameroon. The other violations recorded in the country were arrests and detentions of journalists (5), closure of media houses (2), sentencing of journalists (2) and assault of journalists (1). A significant number of the violations (9) in Cameroon were cited in the month of January 2017 at the peak of the protests and were mostly related to reporting on the crisis in the two Anglophone regions.

9 | P a g e Togo The 13 violations were made up of physical attacks (5), arrests and detentions (5), court sentence (1), killing (1) and shutdown of media organisations (1). As found in many of the countries cited in this report and the previous report, state security agents are the dominant culprits of FOE violations, and the situation was no different in Togo. As a result of brutalities against demonstrators by Togolese papa-military, gendarmes, one person died while several others sustained various degrees of injuries when they used tear gas and live bullets to disperse commercial motorcycle drivers who were demonstrating against fuel price increases in Lomé. The Togolese gendarmes were also culpable for one of the two attacks meted out against Robert Avotor, a journalist working with the L’Alternative bi-weekly newspaper. Avotor was physically attacked and arrested by some gendarmes while he was covering a land dispute at Akato-Viépé, near the Togo-Ghana border. Specifically, the Togolese security agents accounted for nine (9) of the 13 violations recorded in the country. In another incident, Togo’s media regulatory body, the Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication (HAAC), shutdown two media houses, LCF Television and City FM for allegedly operating without license. The decision of the Togolese regulator was however, contested by several actors including a member of the HAAC. Fortunately, two of the 13 violations were receiving some form of redress at the time of finalising this report. Specifically, the Minister of Security and the Public Prosecutor have initiated investigations into the brutalities against the demonstrators. Similarly, Togo’s Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Yak Damehame, and the Attorney General of Togo, Blaise Essolissam Poyodi, have both condemned attacks on Robert Avotor, and assured him that his assailants will be punished. Somalia Somalia’s media landscape witnessed 10 FOE violations – physical attacks (5), killing (1), censorship (1), arrest and detention (1), online violation (1) and a jail term sentence (1). State security agents accounted for four of the violations. Other perpetrators included unidentified individuals, state officials and a Somali court. Unidentified persons were responsible for the detonation of explosives which resulted in the killing and injuring of citizens in two different incidents. In a separate incident, unknown assailants abducted journalist, Hanad Ali Guled, working with privately owned Goobjoog Television of Goobjoog Media Group. Guled was found the following day, in the outskirts of Mogadishu, handcuffed and beaten. It was unclear why the journalist was attacked but his colleagues believed it was linked to a report he did on a drought relief programme. In Somalia’s autonomous state of Puntland, two violations were recorded. In the first incident, local authorities in Puntland barred a private Television Station, Universal TV, from covering events in the region. The Ministry of Information accused the TV station of destabilising regional security in the state. In the second violation cited in Puntland, about 30 armed policemen raided the premises of Radio Voice of Peace and physically attacked the director of the station, Ahmed Mohamed Ali,

10 | P a g e popularly known as Aano Geel with guns and batons. No reason was given for the attack. In Somaliland, an independent journalist, Abdimalik Muse Oldon, who was arrested in February 2017, was sentenced to two years inprisonment for promoting “anti-national activities.” Oldon was, however, released in May following several appeals from local and international rights groups. With the exception of one, all the violations were perpetrated against journalists and media workers. Ghana Ghana recorded a total of eight FOE violations. For two of the violations, cameras and recorders belonging to journalists were seized and destroyed. The violations were largely perpetrated by state security agents (4). For instance, some military officers physically assaulted and destroyed a phone belonging to a freelance journalist, Kendrick Ofei, who had filmed the beating of a civilian by some soldiers during Ghana's 60th Independence Day celebration at the Independence Square in the capital, Accra. The soldiers also destroyed Ofei’s phone. In another incident, some policemen sacked journalists who were covering the trial of two suspected murderers of a Member of Parliament in Ghana upon the orders of a presiding judge at a Magistrate Court in Accra from the courtroom. The police also arrested and detained a correspondent of Peace FM, a leading local-language-speaking radio station, following a complaint of false reporting by some aggrieved supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who organised a press conference. The remaining four violations were perpetrated by individuals (4). A journalist working with Otec FM in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, Isaac Nsiah Foster was physically assaulted by workers at a construction site where he had gone to investigate complaints by local residents. Foster’s camera and recorder were also seized by the workers. Officials of Accra Great Olympics physically and verbally attacked a photojournalist, Senyuidzorm Adadevor, at the Accra Sports Stadium during a football match the Accra Great Olympics - West Africa Football Academy (WAFA). Another photojournalist of the Asante Kotoko Express newspaper was subjected to physical and verbal abuse by a fan and a steward of Ashgold football club in Obuasi during a match between Ashgold and Asante Kotoko in the Ghana Premier League (GPL). Guinea In Guinea, state security agents were culpable for two out of the five FOE violations recorded in the country. Some Guinean police clashed with protesters in the Guinean capital, Conakry, leaving at least seven dead and several others severely injured. The protesters were demonstrating against the shutdown of schools following several weeks of teachers’ strike. Sadly, steps had not been initiated to investigate the death of the seven people at the time of finalising this report. Rather, a government communiqué issued said that the protest was illegal and blamed the protesters for the violence. In a separate incident, some Guinean gendarmes arrested and detained Amadou Sadjo Diallo, a correspondent of the online news portal, Guinee-matin.com in Lelouma, for two days after he published what the government described as “false information likely to cause public disorder.”

11 | P a g e For the other violations cited in the country, Mariam Kouyaté, a reporter working with Radio Lynx FM in Guinea was subjected to intense interrogation and verbal assault by authorities of the Ignace Deen Medical Centre while investigating into poor conditions at the hospital. The officials seized her recorder before handing her over to the police for further questioning. In another incident, bodyguards of the president of a football club the Federation of Guinean Football (FEGUIFOOT), Antonio Souare, assaulted a sports journalist, Boulbinet Mamoudou Diallo working with the Guinean state broadcaster, Radio Télévision Guinéenne (RTG). Diallo was filming a scuffle that had ensued between the bodyguards of Souare and police officers at the 28th September Stadium in Conakry. The guards also seized Diallo’s two phones which were returned to him after Souare intervened. Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Uganda In the case of Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Uganda, four FOE violations were recorded in each of the countries. There were two violations recorded in two separate incidents recorded in Sierra Leone making four violations in total. In the first, one person was killed and several others injured following police brutality against student demonstrators. In another incident, the police and the Sierra Leonean Parliament arrested and detained a renowned anti-corruption activist, Abdul Fatoma, who had accused the Members of Parliament of corrupt acts. The police also confiscated Fatoma’s passport for 45 days. Meanwhile, Uganda’s security forces were responsible for all the violations recorded - arrest (2) of journalists in two separate incidents, physical assault (1) of journalists and the destruction (1) of a camera belonging to another journalist in the same incident. Although there was no redress action for all the four incidents recorded in Uganda, three persons were sanctioned in March 2017 for violating FOE rights in three different incidents in years 2015 and 2016. In Mali, there were reports of online violations (2) and threats (2) in three separate incidents. In one incident, a popular Malian rapper and anti-corruption activist who had received threats from anonymous callers for opposing a planned constitutional amendment also had his Facebook account hacked by unknown attackers. In the other incident, Facebook was disrupted in Mali ahead of an opposition led demonstration while two journalists also received threatening messages from unknown persons for publishing an investigative story about acts of alleged corruption. With a tensed political environment in The Gambia, during the December 2016 elections, recorded some FOE of violations including the revocation of licenses belonging to the four major radio stations for providing coverage on the political controversy at the time and the expulsion of seven foreign journalists upon their arrival at the main airport in the capital Banjul. However the post-Jammeh regime under the leadership of President Adama Barrow has so far shown commitment to safeguarding free speech and improving the human rights situation in the country.

12 | P a g e Details of some of these positive developments in The Gambia will are discussed in a latter section of this report. Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Niger These three countries recorded three FOE violations each. In Niger, one student was killed and several others injured after police beat and threw tear gas at student demonstrators who were demanding better conditions of studies in Niamey, the capital. The other violations in Niger were in the form of arrest and detention and a denial to protest. In the case of DRC, all three violations were carried out by security agents. A group of military men stormed the premises of a community radio station, Radio Communautaire Satellite du Kasaï, interrupted a radio programme and set the station ablaze. They accused the station of working with some opposition military officials. In another incident, Congolese police threw a grenade at a group of journalists covering a mob action in the Alunguli district in Kindu, capital of Maniema province in DRC. The attack resulted in the injury of two journalists. In a separate incident, some Congolese police threatened to kill journalists who were covering massacres by the country’s Militiamen and Armed Force in the southern province of Kasaï-Central. At least four journalists received threats from armed men. In Burkina Faso, there were three incidents of physical attacks that were all perpetrated against media professionals/journalists. Security agents were responsible for two of the violations while supporters of a football club were responsible for the third one. Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania Two violations were recorded in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. Angola recorded two incidents of physical attacks. Angolan police beat and set dogs on peaceful protesters resulting in the injury of at least four persons in the capital, Luanda. Angolan authorities also charged two journalists Rafael Marques de Morais, who run an anti-corruption website Maka Angola and Mariano Bras Lourenco of the weekly newspaper O Crime of "outrage to a body of sovereignty and injury against public authority. In Côte d’Ivoire, six technicians working with the Radiodiffusion Télévison Ivoirienne (RTI) were reported to the Ivoirian police by the station’s Director after a 15-minute delay in the start of the prime-time evening TV news programme. The delay according to the technicians was due to technical fault, but the director accused the workers of “sabotage and undermining state security.” They were summoned to report to the police station on daily basis for three consecutive days. In the second incident, six journalists were arrested and detained for reporting on a mutiny by Ivoirian soldiers. Benin, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Senegal and Zambia These six countries registered one incident of FOE violation each. Some of the violations were online violations in Ethiopia; shutdown of a media organisation each in Malawi and Lesotho; attack on the residence of the editor of a private newspaper in Zambia; and a freedom of assembly right violation in Benin. After years of back-and-forth over the process of media law reforms in Senegal, the country’s Parliament passed a new press code to regulate the practice of journalism and operations of

13 | P a g e media organisations. The new press code which had inimical and repressive sections was widely criticised. Redress for the Violations Recorded Majority of the violations cited in this report remained unredressed at the time of writing this report. Over 90 percent of the 113 violations had not received any form of redress or reparation. Ten (10_) violations received some sort of redress in the form of apologies, condemnation and promises of taking action against violators. The redress actions were taken by senior state and security officials, as well as state security agencies and other state institutions. President John Magufuli of Tanzania ordered the release of a rapper who was arrested by police for a song they claimed discredited the government. He also instructed that the musician’s song which was initially censored be played on all media outlets in the country. In a similar incident, the President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Kaboré, condemned an attack on a journalist. He is yet to sanction the bodyguard responsible for physically assaulting the journalist.

In The Gambia, barely a week after being assaulted by party supporters, the Interior Minister of The Gambia and leader of the NRP, Mai Fatty publicly apologised to Kebba Jeffang, the attacked journalist. In Togo, the Minister of Security and the Attorney General publicly condemned the attacks on a Togolese journalist, Avotor by security agents and individuals in two separate incidents. They also assured that his assailants will be punished. The Minister of Security also initiated investigation into an incident which resulted in the killing of one protester and injury of several others following police brutalities against demonstrators. Both redress actions had not concluded at the time of writing this report.. In the case of Nigeria, the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Sani Usman, paid a visit to the head office of Premium Times newspaper in Abuja two months after the country’s army raided the newspaper and arrested its editor. The goal of Usman’s visit was to make amends with the media organisation and its staff.

The remaining five redress actions recorded included the release of an independent journalist two months after he was sentenced to two years imprisonment for “anti-national activity” in Somalia; the reopening of two radio stations (Radio Hot Cocoa and Jakiri Community radio) which were briefly closed down in Cameroon for reporting on the Anglophone crisis; and the restoration of internet connectivity in Cameroon after three months of shutdown. In Sierra-Leone, the passport of an anti-corruption activist, Abdul Fatoma was returned to him after 45 days of confiscation. Again in Burkina Faso, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined the Rail Club Kadiogo (RCK), a football club in the country $30,000 after its supporters assaulted sports journalists who had gone to cover the CAF Champions League between RCK and Union Sportive Medinat d’Alger (USMA), a football club in Algeria, at the 4th August Stadium in Ouagadougou.

14 | P a g e The monitoring period also witnessed some redress actions for violations perpetrated outside the monitoring period. Specifically, Uganda recorded three redress actions for violations perpetrated in 2015 and 2016 – a senior police officer, a businesswoman, and five supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) were separately convicted in March 2017 for assaulting journalists and media professionals in 2015 and 2016. Similarly, The Gambia also registered two redress actions for violations committed in 2004 and 2016. Two security agents were arrested in connection with the murder of prominent Gambian Journalist and founder of the independent Point Newspaper, Deyda Hydara, who was killed in 2004. Also, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Yankuba Badjie, and seven other officials were also charged with the murder of former opposition politician, Solo Sandeng who was killed in custody in April 2016. Notable Trends and Developments Three significant trends were observed over the six-month period – state security agents were consistently found to be the main abusers of freedom of expression and assembly rights across the countries cited; the use of force and brutalities to disperse protesters; and inadequate redress of violations cited. Similar to findings of the July to December 2016 report, state security agents were found to be the dominant perpetrators of the violations recorded from January to June 2017. This is a worrying trend that has been observed over a 12-month period which needs urgent redress. It is a big challenge to FOE as the law enforcers to whom journalists and other victims of FOE violations run to for help end up being the perpetrators. Another worrying trend observed was the use of excessive force by state security agents to disperse demonstrators. During the period under review, the use of excessive force by state security agents during protests resulted in 10 deaths and several injuries in four countries. A similar trend was observed in the July-December-2016 report where security agents’ excessive use of force to disperse protestors resulted in the death of 183 people. Inadequate redress and lack of reparation for FOE violations perpetrated was also found to be almost a norm in majority of the countries. Out of the 113 violations recorded, only 10 received some form of redress in Burkina Faso (2), Cameroon (2), Togo (2), Nigeria (1), Somalia (1), The Gambia (1), and Tanzania (1). The remaining 103 violations were unaddressed at the time of finalising this report. In terms of other developments on the FOE landscape on the continent, The Gambia saw significant progress in its FOE and general human rights record following the historic defeat of ex-President Yahya Jammeh in the December elections. The new administration, President Adama Barrow’s government, has indicated its commitment to improving the FOE and human rights environment in the country. Already, the former director of the feared National Intelligence Agency (NIA) together with seven others has been convicted for the murder of an opposition politician, Solo Sandeng who died in jail in 2016. Also, Former Army Commander, Kawsu Camara, and Major Sanna Manjang, an alleged assassin for former President Yahya Jammeh, have also been arrest in connection with the murder of

15 | P a g e prominent Gambian Journalist and founder of independent Point Newspaper, Deyda Hydara after 13 years of impunity. Additionally, President Barrow in an Executive Order has renamed the NIA which was responsible for countless brutalities and flagrant FOE violations under erstwhile dictator, Yahya Jammeh. The new name for the NIA is State Intelligence Services, (SIS). He also stripped the agency of the power to arrest and detain people. As further indication of his commitment towards improving the FOE environment in The Gambia, President Barrow has appointed renowned media freedom advocate and editor of English desk of the Senegal-based, African Press Agency (APANEWS), Demba Ali Jawo, to head the Ministry for Information, Communication and Technology. Another country that registered a positive development during the period under review was Côte d’Ivoire. A controversial press Bill which was introduced to the Ivoirian Parliament to stifle FOE was withdrawn. The government announced its decision to withdraw the bill for further consideration following concerns raised by local, regional and internationals actors. Conclusion and Recommendations The findings, as presented above, show that the FOE situation on the continent is so far not progressive. From a record of 63 violations from July to December 2016, the first half of 2017 (January-June 2017) recorded 113 violations, an indication that the FOE situation on the continent may be deteriorating. Unfortunately, state security agents and state officials who are entrusted with the responsibility to uphold FOE legal provisions and ensure that they are protected and respected in principle and in practice were found to be the major perpetrators of most of the violations cited. Unfortunately, the activities of state security agents resulted in the death of 10 protestors with several others injured. Journalists, other media workers, activists, protesters and other individuals were the direct victims of all the violations cited. Regrettably, less than 10 percent of the violations received some form of redress with the over 90 percent remaining, unaddressed. In consideration of the findings, the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX) is calling on governments, state security agents and other relevant stakeholders to address the challenges in the FOE landscape, as highlighted in the findings, to help create an enabling environment for the exercise of FOE rights as guaranteed in the constitutions of the various countries on the continent. Specifically, AFEX makes the following recommendations: Governments in Africa

x Must demonstrate in practice their commitment to freedom of expression (offline and online) as enshrined in their national constitutions as well as binding regional and international instruments they have signed unto.

x Must commit to fighting impunity for crimes perpetrated against journalists, other media workers, activists, protesters and other individuals on the continent.

16 | P a g e

x Must ensure that state security agents and other state officials uphold constitutional guarantees for freedom of expression.

State Security Agents

x Should uphold, protect and cause to respect, freedom of expression rights as guaranteed by their national constitutions.

x Should respect the mandate of journalists and other media workers, and accordingly ensure that they work in a safe and free environment.

x Should Refrain from using excessive force on protesters.. x Should put in place measures to punish and deter security officers who abusing FOE rights. x Should, at all times, create and nurture cordial relationships with the media and activists.

Civil Society

x Organise continuous training for security agents in handling riots and public demonstrations. x Organise frequent media-security dialogue in order to improve and strengthen relations

between security forces and journalists. x Continue to advocate for the protection and respect of FOE rights, as well as the redress of

violations. x Advocate for frameworks at the national and regional level that seek to promote free speech

both online and offline

Media Organisations x Must train their workers to respect the code of ethics for journalism and to be professional in

carrying out their duties at all times x Pursue incidents of violations perpetrated against their staff to a logical conclusion x Build and nurture cordial relations with security and state officials in order to tackle impunity

and ensure safety of journalists x Organise frequent trainings to equip their workers with safety tips during reportage

Individuals

x Must respect the rights of others both offline and online x Must demonstrate a sense of restrain and responsibility during demonstrations