By Own Correspondent – Gambian-born Commissioner for Human Rights at the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) the the African Union has spoken of the Commission’s concern over the situation in North Africa. Commissioner Musa Ngary Bittaye, responsible for Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mauritius and Zimbabwe, who was speaking in an interview with this reporter yesterday, said the situation is of great concern to the Commission. “All organs of the AU are monitoring the situation in North Africa and other countries very closely in terms of human rights and the right to peaceful assembly and protest. We very... Continue Reading
By Olusegun A. Ogundeji – The Sierra Leone legislative arm will tomorrow ratify the long awaited Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill after it had been read and debated previously and sent to the Legislative Committee for some amendment. This will make Sierra Leone be one of the few countries in Africa with an enated FOI law which will allow individuals or institutions to request any public information from any public or private institution leading to speedy cross-checking of information in the country. The Minister of Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Kargbo said the ratification of the bill is an indiation... Continue Reading
By Elias Mhegera – EIGHT civil society organizations including the Commission for Human Rights in Tanzania have aired a growing concern over secrecy in the Government and its institutions which could hamper freedom of expression and the dispensation of justice. The statement came in the wake of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), phase two, which was deliberating on the freedom of expression (FOE) and information (FOI), in Tanzania. The organizations which attended the session are the National Organization for Legal Assistance (NOLA) Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF-Tanzania), the Commission of Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG), and... Continue Reading
Abyei, 4 March 2011- Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is currently responding to the consequences of fighting in various locations north of the disputed border district of Abyei, in Sudan. The latest outbreak of violence began on 27th February, some 20 kilometres north of Abyei town. Since yesterday, tens of thousands of people have fled the town, leaving it mostly empty. MSF’s priority is to be able to reach and treat all patients. The MSF hospital in Agok, 40 kilometres south of Abyei, received 21 wounded patients during the afternoon and evening of Wednesday 3rd March. All patients had sustained gunshot... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – Lawyer Assan A. Martins, a human rights advocate and former magistrate, has expounded on civil liberties and other related issues, noting that freedom of expression and information are the fundamental rights of all. Martins commented on the need for free flow of information and freedom of expression as fundamental pillars of any democratic society, stressing that these are values that provide accountability mechanisms between governments and citizens. Speaking in an exclusive interview with this reporter yesterday, Martins stated that freedom of expression and conscience are guides that can help society to know, and find out the... Continue Reading
