Africa: Editors Support Continent's Detained Journalists

28 July 2008
allAfrica.com

Johannesburg — South African editors have expressed their concern at the detention of Eritrean journalists and the harassment of Zimbabwean and Somali journalists.

In a statement issued after its annual general meeting at the weekend, the South African National Editors' Forum called for the release of all detained African journalists. It also urged the African Union "to plead for the unconditional release of journalists in line with the spirit of transparency and accountability enshrined in Nepad."

The forum also rejected a proposal by South Africa's ruling African National Congress to introduce a statutory media tribunal. It said the media industry's self-regulatory system dealt effectively with complaints "in the way similar institutions acted in 60 democracies throughout the world."

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