MEDIA FREEDOM AND INTIMIDATION OF JOURNALISTS Kenya Correspondents Association expresses concern over the emerging climate of intimidation of journalists and attack on media freedom in the country. KCA considers the move to summon the KTN investigative journalists John-Allan Namu and Mohammed Ali by the police over their report on the Westgate Mall looting by army officers a serious affront to media freedom. “The journalists have done their duty to the nation and the world, by providing information about what happened and the police should stop any attempt to intimidate them through summons or calls for their arrest under whatever pretext,” said KCA Chairman William Oloo Janak. Janak said the attempt by the police to criminalize media coverage of the Westgate mall and the claims that the journalists lacked patriotism was diversionary and an attempt to deflect attention from the credibility issues facing the security forces over their handling of the mall terror attack saga. “The threats of arrest by the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo against the journalists and the subsequent summoning of the two and the Standard Group Chief Executive can only be seen as part of a wider plot by the government to muzzle media freedom, a move that must be resisted by all believers in press freedom,” said Janak. KCA is concerned that the police should seek to gag the media over the Westgate Mall terror attack at a time when the security forces owe the nation answers over their handling of the issue and more particularly the conduct of the army officers during the security operations. “Kenya is governed by a new constitution which has clear provisions on the protection of media freedom which we expect the state and its institutions to respect and uphold,” Janak added. Ends
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:33:55 +0000
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