A Kaduna-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), has urged governments and security agencies to respect press freedom at all times. The group made the call in a statement by its Execute Director, Iliya Kure, on Tuesday in Kaduna.
Kure in the statement to commemorate 2022 World Press Freedom Day, lauded journalists across Africa and the world at large.
He said that newsmen had remained on the frontline, to practice journalism, in spite of the attacks, threats, imprisonment, loss, and blackmail.
He urged governments and security agencies in Africa to respect the freedom of the press at all times.
Kure noted that the foundation was bothered by the increasing cases of harassment, arrests, imprisonment, torture, and digital attacks on journalists, for no other reason other than doing their work.
He further stated that the AMDF aligned with the 2022 theme: `Journalism Under Siege,’ which according to him, is a reflection of the many challenges confronting journalists in the discharge of their duties.
“This is particularly important because the trend of online attacks on media is significantly increasing, with women journalists being the worst hit.”
“A recent statistics by UNESCO shows a shocking prevalence of harassment online, where nearly thee quarters of female media professionals had experienced online violence, linked to their work,” he said.
He, however, urged journalists to adhere strictly to the code of journalism ethics, each time they wrote their stories.
“While AMDF continues to speak on impunity and injustice against journalism, we call on all stakeholders to join us in our resolve to continue in the fight for Press Freedom, until Africa is free from attacks and violence,” he said.