Entebbe, Uganda, December 2, 2006 – A three day sub-regional journalists' conference ended recently in Entebbe with a call from journalists to their governments to respect and uphold media freedom.

The conference attracted 40 journalists from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan including South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. It was organized by the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project.

They provided training and discussions on human rights reporting, and supporting each other as human rights defenders.

Journalists shared experiences and ideas on a wide range of human rights and security issues not only affecting them as individuals, but also the profession. They included among others: torture, threats to their lives, self censorship, laws aimed at restricting and deterring journalists' work, detention, unfair trials and confiscation of publications.

Whereas the journalists commended the relative press freedom in Uganda, Tanzania and Somaliland, the situation of the press described in other countries was of great concern.

Eritrea has kept over 16 journalists behind bars since 2001, when the entire private press was banned, and nine more state-media journalists were recently detained and held without charge. Ethiopia also has 16 journalists on trial on false charges of instigating violence, which could carry the death penalty. Dozens of Somali journalists have been arrested in the past two years, but all were freed after vigorous campaigning by local and international media groups.

At the end of the conference, participants committed themselves to increase their reporting on human rights issues and human rights violations, and to support and protect fellow journalists in their defense of human rights. The final conference resolution included:

• Express support for women journalists facing gender discrimination and encourage reporting on women's rights issues.

• Demand that the governments in the sub region release all detained journalists and end unlawful acts against freedom of press by law enforcement bodies.

• Request to reform all laws, which curtail freedom of opinion, information and the media.

• Appeal to the Eritrean government to accept a delegation of journalists from the sub-region to visit detained journalists who "disappeared" for five year.

The conference was facilitated by Amnesty International, Article 19, Frontline, Peace Brigade International, and the Human Rights House Foundation Network, among others.

Source: The Monitor