Press Release

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – [July 21, 2020] – As a global coalition of organisations and institutions defending and working to advance human rights in the digital age, we write to express great concern over the growing trend on threats on media freedoms and arrests of journalists and activists in Zimbabwe in recent months. These attacks bear no regard to Zimbabwe’s obligations to:

• Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to protect the right to freedom of expression including freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice or through any media whatsoever;
• Sections 61 and 62 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the media;
• Sections 57, 58, and 59 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which ensure the rights to privacy, freedom of assembly and association and freedom to demonstrate and petition;

We  further wish to remind the Zimbabwean Government of its obligations to the following regional instruments on freedom of expression; African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, Windhoek Declaration , African Platform on Access to Information and the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression.

We have noted in the last few days, the increase in random arrests, detentions and questioning of journalists and activists in the course of executing their duties. Specifically, in a space of seven days, we noted the arrest and detention of Hopewell Chin’ono – a respected journalist on July 20th, Jacob Ngarivhume- an opposition activist on July 20th and Blessed Mhlanga- a senior journalist on July 25. We are deeply concerned by the recent raid of the Journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu’s home and arbitrary arrest of his sister in connection with his whereabouts on July 30th 2020 ahead of a planned protest on the 31st of July 2020. These sustained attacks on journalists are a disregard for media freedoms.

We are cognizant of  the Press Briefing on Zimbabwe by the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Liz Throssell who expressed the UN concern over the arrests on 24 July 2020 condemning the suggestive acts that authorities in Zimbabwe are  using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
We take note of the 44th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/44/L.18/Rev.1  which reaffirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular, the right to freedom of opinion and expression;

We, therefore, echo the  laid out guidelines laid out inof Principle 20(1) and (2) of the Declaration Of Principles On Freedom Of Expression And Access To Information In Africa (the Declaration) adopted by the African Commission On Human And Peoples’ Rights at its 65th Ordinary Session held From 21 October to 10 November 2019 In Banjul, Gambia that the government of Zimbabwe must guarantee the safety of journalists and other media practitioners and take measures to prevent attacks on journalists and other media practitioners, including murder, extra-judicial killing, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, kidnapping, intimidation, threats and unlawful surveillance undertaken by State and non-State actors.

We also wish to highlight 24 other attacks on media practitioners as documented by the MISA Zimbabwe between March 30th and July 21st  2020 when Zimbabwe went on lockdown. Since then, 3 other journalists were reportedly harassed by the State security agents in Zimbabwe as at 26 July 2020. Journalists including Frank Chikowore and Samuel Takawira are facing prosecution and charged with violating social distancing regulations after attempting to interview three opposition youth leaders who had been abducted and assaulted by alleged security force agents.

We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to cease this obvious clampdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly especially leading up to the planned July 31, 2020 protest action. We refer to the Ministerial statement dated July 25, 2020, issued by Minister of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting Services- Hon. Monica Mutsvangwa, that explicitly states that Hopewell Chin’ono was not arrested for exposing corruption but rather for “using his social media accounts to incite Zimbabweans to violently overthrow the Government”. We wish to remind the Zimbabwean authorities of the aforementioned rights of citizens to assemble and protest peacefully; and the duty of law enforcement officers to provide the necessary protection during such times.

We call for the Government of Zimbabwe to withdraw all malicious prosecutions against media practitioners and to release  Hopewell Chin’ono and Jacob Ngarivhume, and to drop all charges against Frank Chiktowore and Samuel Takawira.

Further, we call upon the Government of Zimbabwe, especially during this crucial time of the COVID-19 pandemic- a matter of life and death, to respect and guarantee media freedoms by ceasing the unfair and unjustified intimidation of journalists to silence dissent. In addition, to avoid using the cover of ‘violating lockdown restrictions’ to mount violent attacks on media practitioners, at a time when citizens depend on them for news and information.

 Signed: 

1. AfroLeadership
2. Afrotribune
3. Association des Utilisateurs des TIC – ASUTIC, Senegal
4. Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
5. Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
6. Centre for Impact Advocacy (CiA)
7. Centre for Legal Support, Gambia
8. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
9. Equip Africa Integrated Development Initiative
10. Gambia Cyber Security Alliance
11. Liberia Information Technology Student Union
12. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
13. Villes et Communes Magazine

Lusaka, Zambia – [July 21, 2020] – Paradigm Initiative, is deeply concerned by the arrest of Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono on the 20th of July 2020 from his home in Harare.  The arrest which he live-streamed is allegedly linked to three tweets exposing acts of corruption within the government. The police also arrested an opposition activist Jacob Ngarivhume on the same day. 

Amidst social media alerts suggesting that Hopewell had been abducted by suspected State security agents, the Zimbabwe Republic Police then issued a statement confirming the arrest of the two in connection with the charge of incitement to participate in public violence as provided for in section 187(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23. The 2 are yet to appear in court to be formally charged.

Today, the State security agents in Zimbabwe are reported to have proceeded to Hopewell’s home to search for any gadgets used to tweet the so-called information that is likely to incite members of the public to commit public violence. Hopewells social media accounts have since been taken down. The arrest of Hopewell and Jacob comes at a time where the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum a coalition of 20 organisations including MISA-Zimbabwe has documented 24 attacks on media practitioners as presented in their Zimbabwe COVID-19 Lockdown Monitoring Report 19th to 20 July 2020 – Days 110 to 111 which captures the human rights violations from the 30th of March 2020 when Zimbabwe went on lockdown. 

Paradigm Initiative’s Program Officer for Southern Africa, Bulanda Nkhowani, describes the development as an outlandish action indicating a failure of the government of Zimbabwe to protect journalists in the conduct of their work as mandated by Principle 20(1) and (2) of the Declaration Of Principles On Freedom Of Expression And Access To Information In Africa (the Declaration) adopted by the African Commission On Human And Peoples’ Rights at its 65th Ordinary Session held From 21 October to 10 November 2019 In Banjul, The Gambia.

The principle states clearly that States shall guarantee the safety of journalists and other media practitioners and take measures to prevent attacks on journalists and other media practitioners, including murder, extra-judicial killing, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, kidnapping, intimidation, threats and unlawful surveillance undertaken by State and non-State actors. “The Declaration echoes the spirit of Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights that every individual shall have the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law.” Bulanda concluded

We call the government of Zimbabwe to ensure that media freedoms are respected without the harassment of journalists in the execution of their mandate to ensure access to information which is critical for holding governments accountable to their citizenry.

We further urge the government of Zimbabwe to desist from arbitrary arrests of journalists, to desist from the unjustified invasion of their privacy and to follow due process to ensure that Hopewell and Jacob get access to justice says Paradigm Initiative’s Community Manager, Thobekile Masimbe

For more information about this statement, please contact: media@paradigmhq.org

Yaoundé, Cameroon – [21 juillet  2020] –  Un communiqué de presse signé le 7 juillet 2020 par la Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication (HAAC) du Bénin annonce la « suspension sans délai » de plusieurs sites d’informations en ligne dans le pays.

Ledit communiqué menace également les journalistes des organes de presse en ligne de poursuites judiciaires pour violation de l’article 252 qui stipule que : « l’exploitation directe ou indirecte en République du Bénin à titre gratuit ou onéreux, d’un site Internet fournissant des services de communication audiovisuelle et de presse écrite destinés au public est subordonnée à l’autorisation de la Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication ».

Paradigm Initiative est profondément préoccupé par cette décision de la HAAC dont l’objectif est sans doute d’étouffer l’expression des opinions plurielles sur Internet au Bénin et invite le gouvernement a donné le temps nécessaire aux médias en ligne pour leur conformité.

« La décision de la HAAC et ses exigences mettent en danger l’avenir des blogueurs et des médias diffusant des contenus en ligne au Bénin. Nous exhortons le gouvernement béninois à prendre des mesures appropriées pour garantir la liberté d’expression en ligne », a déclaré Emmanuel Agbenonwossi, chargé de Communications de Paradigm Initiative.

Par ailleurs, Paradigm Initiative exhorte le président béninois Patrice Talon au respect des engagements internationaux pris par le Bénin en matière de droits humains en général et des droits numériques en particulier. Depuis l’arrivée au pouvoir du président Patrice Talon en 2016, la liberté de la presse n’a cessé de se détériorer au Benin et le pays a perdu 35 places depuis 2016 au Classement mondial établi par Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Aucun pays n’a connu un tel recul ces dernières années.

De 2016 à ce jour, le Bénin a enregistré 11 cas de violation des droits numériques allant des perturbations des réseaux sociaux en période électorale à l’arrestation et détention des journalistes pour des publications en ligne.

Le cas le plus récent est la condamnation en janvier 2020 du journaliste Ignace Sossou à dix-huit mois de prison ferme pour avoir tweeté les propos d’un procureur lors d’une conférence organisée par Canal France international.

Pour toute demande de renseignements à propos de ce communiqué de presse, veuillez envoyer un courriel à notre responsable des projets en Afrique francophone, Rigobert Kenmogne, rigobert.kenmogne@paradigmhq.org 

Abuja, Nigeria. – [25 juin 2020] –  Ce jeudi 25 juin 2020, Paradigm Initiative se joint à d’autres organisations de la société civile pour célébrer une décision historique de  la Cour de justice de la Communauté économique des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO).

Le tribunal sous-régional a jugé que les restrictions de l’accès à Internet, qui ont eu lieu du 5 au 10 septembre et de nouveau du 19 au 21 septembre 2017, étaient illégales et portaient atteinte au droit des requérants à la liberté d’expression.

Le tribunal a ordonné au gouvernement togolais de verser deux millions de francs CFA aux plaignants à titre d’indemnisation et de prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour garantir la mise en œuvre des garanties relatives au droit à la liberté d’expression du peuple togolais.

« Il s’agit d’un jugement historique qui enverra un signal fort à l’ensemble du continent, et aux régimes autoritaires en particulier, pour repenser d’avantages les arguments qu’ils évoquent pour perturber de façons abusives et illégales le réseau internet », a déclaré Emmanuel Vitus, responsable des communications de Paradigm Initiative.

Il a ajouté : « la décision du tribunal a des implications beaucoup plus profondes pour l’avenir de la liberté en ligne au Togo. C’est un moment historique et très important, non seulement pour les plaignants, mais aussi pour les citoyens togolais. »

Selon Boye Adegoke, directeur de programme principal de Paradigm Initiative, « cette décision a de nouveau souligné le rôle que la justice doit jouer pour freiner la tendance de certains gouvernements africains à couper l’Internet à des fins politiques.

Les tribunaux ne peuvent pas se permettre de rester à l’écart car il y a trop de cas impliquant des décisions unilatérales des gouvernements en place de couper l’Internet surtout pendant les périodes électorales ou pendant les manifestations publiques à travers le continent.  Nous félicitons le tribunal de la CEDEAO pour ce jugement historique et félicitons la communauté des droits de l’homme pour cette victoire. »

L’an dernier, Paradigm Initiative a rejoint Access Now, Association for Progressive Communications (APC), ARTICLE 19, Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), et le groupe NetBlocks pour  soumettre ou un mémoire d’amici curiae dans le procès déposé par les Organisations de la Société Civile du Togo.

Au cours des dernières années, le gouvernement togolais a utilisé les coupures d’Internet et les couvre-feux pour étouffer la dissidence et faire respecter la loi et l’ordre. L’une des grandes préoccupations du gouvernement togolais est l’utilisation des réseaux sociaux pour organiser des manifestations anti-gouvernementales.

Le recours excessif à la force par les forces de sécurité et la violence ont fait au moins 11 morts, dont des enfants. Plus de 200 manifestants ont été arrêtés lors des manifestations de 2017.

L’actuel président Faure Gnassingbé dirige le pays depuis sa prise de fonction, en 2005, à la suite du décès de son père, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, qui a régné d’une main de fer pendant 38 ans.

Le Togo n’a pas de législation appropriée régissant l’utilisation et la liberté d’Internet. Ce vide juridique permet  au gouvernement et au pouvoir judiciaire d’appliquer le Code pénal, la loi sur la cyber sécurité, etc.. pour régir les activités en ligne. Avec ces lois inappropriées, les citoyens risquent jusqu’à cinq ans d’emprisonnement pour activités ou propos tenus en ligne ou sur les réseaux sociaux.

La nécessité d’une législation sur la liberté d’Internet a été évoquée ces dernières années par la presse et la société civile. Paradigm Initiative a commencé à travailler avec Afrotribune, en 2018, pour doter le pays d’une loi complète sur les droits et libertés numériques.

Notre travail en faveur d’un environnement en ligne respectueux des droits au Togo se poursuit et nous accueillons ce jugement historique avec enthousiasme.

Pour tout renseignement complémentaire sur la présente, n’hésitez pas à communiquer avec nous via media@paradigmhq.org

Abuja, Nigeria. – [June 25, 2020] – Today, Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African social enterprise that advocates for digital rights and inclusion in Africa ,  joins other civil society organizations to celebrate a landmark trial by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice.

The regional court has ruled that the restriction on Internet access, which took place from September 5 to 10 and again from September 19 to 21, 2017, was illegal and an affront to the applicants’ right to freedom of expression.

The court ordered the government of Togo to pay two million XAF to the plaintiffs as compensation, and to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the implementation of safeguards with respect to the right to freedom of expression of the Togolese people.

“It is a historic judgement that will send a strong signal to the entire continent, and to ruthless regimes in particular, to rethink the assumed benefits of illegal and abusive network disruptions,” said Emmanuel Vitus, Paradigm Initiative’s Communications Officer.

He added, “the court’s decision has far deeper implications for the future of online freedom in Togo. It’s a huge moment in the country’s recent history and very significant, not just for the plaintiffs, but also for the citizens of Togo.”

According to Boye Adegoke, Paradigm Initiative’s Senior Program Manager, “this decision has again emphasised the role that the court must play to rein in some African governments’ tendency to shut down the Internet towards political ends. Courts cannot afford to be aloof because there are too many cases, across the continent, involving unilateral decisions to shut down the internet by incumbent governments especially around election periods or during protests. We commend the ECOWAS court for this landmark judgement and congratulate the human rights community for this victory.” 

Last year, Paradigm Initiative joined Access Now, Association for Progressive Communications (APC), ARTICLE 19, Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CJP), Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), the and NetBlocks Group to submit “friends of the court”, or amici curiae brief in the lawsuit filed by local CSOs in Togo.

In the last few years, Togo has used Internet shutdowns and curfews to stifle dissent and enforce law and order. One of the big concerns is the use of social media tools to organize anti-government protests.

The excessive use of force by the security forces and violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, including children. Over 200 protesters have been arrested during the 2017 protests.

The current President Faure Gnassingbe has led the country of eight million people since taking over, in 2005, following the death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled with an iron fist for 38 years.

Togo does not have appropriate legislation governing Internet use and freedom, leaving the government and judiciary to apply the existing penal code to online activities individuals have been jailed for up to five years for posting information about government or opposition policy on social media.

The need for legislation around Internet freedom has been raised in the Togolese media. Paradigm Initiative started working with Afrotribune, in 2018, to provide the country with a comprehensive digital rights and freedom bill. Our work towards a rights-respecting online environment in Togo continues, and we welcome this landmark judgement with excitement.

For any inquiries about this press release, please send an email to media@paradigmhq.org