DCMF met with more
than 60 exiled journalists from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South
Sudan to document the challenges facing exiled journalists
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Ahmed Badar, Somali Kenyan
journalist working as news editor for Star FM radio (a Somali radio station
based in Nairobi) for the last 4 years
|
DCMF
announces the publication of its latest report “No home from home:
the plight of East African exiled journalists,”
which documents the situation of Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Sudanese and
South Sudanese journalists who fled home due to work-related persecution.
In
April 2013, a delegation from the Doha Centre for Media Freedom traveled to
Kenya and Uganda to document the situation of East African exiled journalists.
The
delegation, composed of Senior Emergency Assistance coordinator Abdurahman
Abdulbasit, DCMF’s journalist Peter Townson and research coordinator Marion
Desmurger spent two weeks in Nairobi and Kampala, the two biggest hubs for
refugees in the region, meeting with more than 60 journalists in exile and 30
representatives of institutions working for the protection of media
professionals at risk.
The
mission resulted in two main reports: a Special Report
compiling journalists’ testimonies and stories from our journalist Peter
Townson and a research report from DCMF’s research coordinator Marion Desmurger
entitled “No home from home: the plight
of East African exiled journalists.”
The
research report shows that, out of the 60 journalists interviewed in Kenya and
Uganda, 22 experienced imprisonment at home and 30 were attacked while in
exile.
As
a result of insecurity and fear of reprisal, only a few continue to exercise
their profession. Other challenges impeding exiled journalists from sharing
information include high levels of (cyber) surveillance from government
security agents, lack of access to information and restricted financial
resources.
As
asylum seekers, exiled journalists have limited rights and access to working
permits and are therefore left with very few professional opportunities.
Prospects of improvement are meagre. Out of the 60 journalists interviewed
during this mission, only two recently relocated to a safer country, away from
attacks by security forces and abuses from local police agents in Kenya and
Uganda.
To
improve their living conditions, exiled journalists are calling for more
opportunities to expand their professional skills through education and
vocational trainings.
Based
on the information collected throughout this research, a number of
recommendations have been formulated. They are mainly addressed to the UNHCR,
UNESCO, exiled journalists associations, press freedom organisations, the
government of Kenya and Uganda, governments accepting resettlement requests and
foreign media outlets.
It
is hoped that this report will serve as a starting point for further
collaboration between the various parties involved in the protection of exiled
journalists and improve the situation of East African media professionals at
risk.
Source: Doha Centre for Media Freedom
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