Government Contradicts Cameroon’s Press Freedom Ratings, Insists Journalists Operate Freely

The government of Cameroon has said press freedom is a reality in the country and journalists are operating with complete freedom and safety.

This statement was made by the Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, on May 3 as journalists worldwide commemorated the World Press Freedom Day.

“Cameroon is today a state governed by the rule of law and a democracy where journalists practice their profession in complete freedom and safety,” the minister said.

“Contrary to certain allegations expressed here and there, not only is Cameroon a model of media richness and diversity in Africa, but moreover, journalists are not subject to any persecution, and none of them are deprived of their liberty because of the exercise of their profession.”

Minister’s Declaration Inconsistent With Reality

Despite what the minister is saying, the Committee to Protect Journalists ranked Cameroon the second worst jailer of journalists in Africa, after Eritrea.

Currently, there are at least five journalists behind bars in Cameroon. The Central African nation is noted for longer sentences meted out to journalists.

The frequent detention of journalists is due to offences related to their profession.

Kingsley Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Ahmadou Vamoulke, Thomas Awah, Tsi Conrad are just some of the names in prison. 

Meanwhile, some have simply been killed. Samuel Wazizi, Martinez Zogo, Bibi Ngota, and Jean-Ola Bebe are among the unfortunate ones who will never practice journalism again. They are dead yet haven’t received justice.

The minister’s justification of a free press in Cameroon, observers say, is questionable.

Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi acknowledged and regretted “the persistence, even the resurgence, of a certain number of dysfunctions and abuses” against journalists in Cameroon.

Another thing he regretted was the rise of hate speech, fake news, and violent behaviour in the media.

“These shortcomings, which we have constantly decried, clearly harm human rights, as well as the image of our society, which the media conveys to the general public both at home and abroad,” he said.

“Social networks also constitute the preferred channel through which these excesses are deliberately amplified by actors of all stripes, often driven by the desire to cause a sensation and intentionally utter untruths that are both obvious and shocking.”

Minister Sadi Attributes Number of Media Houses to Press Freedom

The minister repeated the claim by the Cameroon government that the plurality of media houses in the country depict press freedom.

He said, currently, Cameroon has 700 publications registered, 200 broadcast radio stations, 100 televisions and more than 200 cable operators.

To him, this justifies press freedom.

“All these companies operate in complete freedom, without any restrictions other than those objectively imposed on them by the internal rules of their profession and compliance with the laws and regulations of the Republic,” he stated.

“This remarkable development is the direct consequence of the establishment of a legal and institutional framework conducive to freedom of enterprise, as well as freedom to publish, in the field of the press in Cameroon, all major achievements that we owe to the will of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya.”

Calls for Self Regulation

Though he claimed journalists are free, he said they should regulate themselves before the state does.

“The government calls once again, through me, for the establishment of a system of professional self-regulation, which will allow journalists themselves to organize themselves in order to clean up the professional practices specific to their profession from within,” he said.

According to the minister, the government remains attentive to the living and working conditions of the media, who suffer, it must be recognised, from a lack of operating resources.”