Amnesty International has urged states in West and Central Africa to tackle corruption and stop “persecuting” human rights defenders who speak out against it.
In a report launched for Africa Anti-Corruption Day, the organisation denounced the “arrests”, “harassment”, detention,” and “even death” against human rights defenders fighting corruption in the 19 countries of West and Central Africa.
Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, said these people play a crucial role in the fight against corruption and in the defence of fundamental rights, yet they are the target of attacks, intimidation, harassment, and persecution when they come to light with the truth.
The human rights organisation cited the fate of Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo as an example.
He had been abducted by unidentified men on January 17, then found dead five days later, his body mutilated, while he investigated and published information on the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of billions of CFA francs from political figures and from the business world close to the government. In Togo, journalist Ferdinand Ayité was arrested on December 10, 2021, after accusing two members of the government of corruption.
He was sentenced on March 15, 2023, along with a colleague, to three years imprisonment and a fine of three million CFA francs for ” contempt of representatives of public authority” and “dissemination of false information”.
According to Amnesty International, both appealed against this decision but had to flee the country for their safety.
Source: AFRICANEWS
