Murder of journalist Martinez Zogo in Cameroon: A heinous crime – never again!

Following a particularly bleak 2022 for journalists across Africa, who were harassed, intimidated and arrested, 2023 has got off to a disgraceful start. 

The Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo was found dead on Sunday 22 January 2023. The managing director of AMPLITUDE FM radio had been abducted on Tuesday 17 January 2023 outside a gendarmerie station in Yaoundé

Martinez Zogo hosted a daily, high-rated programme called “Embouteillage”, in which he criticised the way the city was run. On air, this outspoken journalist regularly tackled corruption scandals, never hesitating to name and shame prominent figures. 

This despicable crime once again raises the issue of the failure to respect freedom of expression in most African countries. AfricTivistes points out that the right to freedom of expression is protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Point 10 of the African Union’s Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa states that “attacks such as murder, kidnapping, intimidation and threats against journalists or other persons exercising their right to freedom of expression undermine independent journalism, freedom of expression and the free flow of information to the public.” Furthermore, according to this AU text, States are obliged to take effective measures to prevent such attacks, to investigate them when they occur, and to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Three days before Martinez Zogo’s body was found, the death of the Rwandan investigative journalist John Williams Ntwali had been announced. He is reported to have died in a motorbike accident, according to the police, who did not provide any details about the circumstances of the accident. It should be noted that John Williams Ntwali was also one of the few journalists to independently cover high-profile trials of political opponents, journalists and commentators. This led to him being regularly threatened and attacked in the pro-government media for his investigative work.

This spiral of violence against journalists is deeply worrying. The safety of media professionals across the African continent must be guaranteed so that they can carry out their work freely and always with professionalism.

In the case of Mr Martinez Zogo, AfricTivistes calls on the Cameroonian authorities to shed light on this crime as a matter of urgency so that those responsible for this murder are swiftly apprehended, prosecuted, tried and sentenced.

This alarming assessment of the state of press freedom and media freedom in Africa deeply saddens AfricTivistes, which strongly condemns these attempts to silence the voices of media professionals. These signs point to a democratic setback and a shrinking of civic space in countries across the region. 

AfricTivistes therefore strongly condemns these serious infringements of press freedom and reiterates that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right guaranteed by constitutions and by the key international instruments and conventions ratified by the various African states.

AfricTivistes calls on the African authorities to protect all those involved in the information society whilst they carry out their work, and urges them in particular to safeguard the physical and psychological well-being of the aforementioned journalists so that they may continue to carry out their work freely and without threat.

We call on the AU, in accordance with the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression, to take these threats seriously and to take action to ensure greater protection for journalists.

AfricTivistes extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and calls on Africa’s leading figures and civil society organisations across the continent to work to protect the African media sector in order to consolidate democracy in Africa, the only guarantee of peace and stability on the continent.