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Protest
letter about attacks on the Kenyan media
by the Digital Freedom Network
(February
18, 2000) In recent weeks, several Kenyan journalists have been
arrested, harrassed, and fined by police after publishing material
that were thought by officials to have defamed the government.
As Kenyan
President Daniel arap Moi attened the National Summit on Africa
(February 16-20, 2000), an initiative designed to improve cooperation
between the United States and African countries, the Digital Freedom
Network sent the following letter to members of the U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee. This letter urges the members of
the committee to contact President Moi and ensure that he work
to improve press freedom in Kenya.
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February 17, 2000
To the members of the
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee:
(Jesse Helms, Richard Lugar, Charles Hagel, Gordon Smith, Rod
Grams, Sam Brownback, Craig Thomas, John Ashcroft, William Frist,
Joseph Biden, Paul Sarbanes, Christopher Dodd, John Kerry, Russell
Feingold, Paul Wellstone, Barbara Boxer, Robert Torricelli):
The Digital Freedom
Network, an international human rights organization, welcomes
and applauds the National Summit on Africa, which is in progress
in Washington, DC. We hope that the meeting will improve cooperation
between the United States and African countries and unify efforts
to improve human rights across the continent. However, we are
particularly fearful about the grave situation facing journalists
in Kenya.
We hope that Kenyan
President Daniel arap Moi, who is participating in the Africa
Summit, will leave the conference with a dedication toward restoring
journalists’ right to do the job the international community
expects them to do-present the news of their nation without fear
of reprisal.
Unfortunately, journalists
in Kenya do not enjoy this right. DFN has been unhappy to report
no fewer than four assaults on journalists by Kenyan authorities
since the beginning of this month, decried by human rights followers
worldwide.
Kenya’s assaults
on its journalists clearly violate Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression.
The Digital Freedom Network calls on participants of the Africa
Summit to return safety to the journalists of Kenya and persuade
President Moi that only countries with a free press deserve the
world’s respect.
We hope you will take
an active effort, while the conference is in Washington, in contacting
President Moi and expressing your commitment to a free press.
Sincerely,
Bobson Wong, Executive Director
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