The CAMASEJ National President said the impunity with which crimes against journalists are committed continues to rise as the government fails to probe the cases.

On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists this November 2, Viban said in a statement that the safety of journalists in Cameroon is increasingly in doubt.  

“It was only this year that the government disclosed the death of Samuel Ajiekah Abuwe aka Samuel Wazizi, a journalist with Chillen Muzik Television in Buea. He is reported to have died on August 17, 2019, in military custody. For ten months, the government maintained sealed lips despite demands from the media, family members, colleagues, lawyers, and advocacy groups,” said Viban. “Samuel Wazizi was arbitrarily arrested and detained in an undisclosed military installation from August 2, 2019. A statement issued by the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Cyrille Serge Atonfack claims that Wazizi died of severe sepsis. An independent investigation into his death has since not been carried out.”

CAMASEJ, which is a national grouping consisting of editors, journalists, media professionals, and media executives, said the Wazizi impunity case is one of many for journalists in Cameroon, especially those living in the troubled regions of the North West and South West and covering the Anglophone Crisis which is stretching into its fourth year.

The belligerent sides have been unleashing untold terror on journalists. Media workers are also arbitrarily arrested and detained or abducted, as well as tortured in detention facilities, it said. 

“The safety of journalists in Cameroon is at risk. Journalists covering the September 22 protests of the opposition in Douala, Yaounde, and Bafoussam were brutalized, arbitrarily detained and their equipment reportedly vandalized by security operatives. No perpetrator has so far been held accountable,” CAMASEJ National President said. “Such attacks on the press undermine Cameroon’s opportunity to grow its fragile democracy. When journalists are not safe, reporting meaningful stories is shelved and citizens do not have the information to make evidence-based decisions. Attacks on journalists work towards covering up the truth. This creates a breathing ground for misinformation, abuse of power, and public mistrust.”

On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Viban called on Cameroon authorities to immediately order an independent probe into Samuel Wazizi’s death and let justice take its course. “Government should also investigate other targeted attacks against journalists and ensure that such do not happen again. Conflicting parties in the North West and South West Regions must refrain from crimes against media workers,” he said.

The odds notwithstanding, Viban called on journalists to uphold the fundamental right of the citizens to be informed and to know the truth. “Do so without fear or favor,” he said.