English PDF - East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders ...

Conference Report: Resources and Proceedings 61Annexe BResolution of the Journalists’ Conference for the East and Horn of Africa, Entebbe,Uganda, 27-29 November 2006WE, journalists and human rights defenders from Uganda, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia,Somaliland, Ethiopia and Sudan including South Sudan, who have gathered in Entebbe, Uganda,to attend a Journalists’ Conference for The East and Horn of Africa organised by the East andHorn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP);REITERATE fundamental principles of freedom of expression enshrined in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights and in the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights, as anindividual human right which ensures respect for all human rights and freedomsREITERATE fundamental principles of freedom of expression enshrined in African Charter ofHuman and people’s rights;RECOGNISE that reporting and disseminating the news is anchored in social reality and humanrelationships and human rights will always be an essential component of journalism;MINDFUL of continuous and growing infringements of freedom of opinion, freedom ofinformation and freedom of press in the countries of the East and Horn of Africa, and thecontinuing cases of killings, illegal arrests, harassments, expulsion, torture and confiscation ofequipment;NOTING that Governments in the East and Horn of Africa Governments are among the mostoppressive in terms of press freedom in Africa;THANKFUL to East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network for organizing thisvital journalists’ conference;POWERFULLY DENOUNCE:Persistence of violations of freedom of press in Eritrea and the uncooperative disposition ofthe Eritrean Government with regional, sub regional and international press freedomadvocacy groups about country’s state of press freedom, including recent arrests andallegations of deaths of journalists “disappeared” in secret prisons since 2001.1. In Ethiopia, numerous arrests, intimidation, jailing of journalists, shutting down ofcritical newspapers, turning dozens of journalists into refugees with the deliberateaim of suppressing freedom of press. Sixteen journalists are currently on trial oncharges of inciting violence, which could carry the death penalty.2. Continuation of violations of rights and freedoms of journalists and mediainstitutions in Somalia, including arrests and ill-treatment3. Harassment of journalists including cases of arrests, banning of newspapers andthreats, burning copies of newspaper in the East and Horn of Africa.4. The attempts by Governments to hide from view their high-handed acts, againstthe public interest and in violation of democratic principles, especially in thecontext of elections.