We need your help to demand that West and Central African states protect human rights defenders against corruption by taking immediate steps to ensure that they can report acts of corruption and other wrongdoing openly without fear of reprisals, and in accordance with the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
What is the problem?
Corruption is a scourge that hinders the economic, social and political development of our countries and has a negative impact on human rights. Anti-corruption human rights defenders and whistleblowers work courageously to expose and fight corruption, helping to create a fairer and more equal society.
However, in West and Central Africa, those who expose corruption often face repression, intimidation and harassment by the authorities. Anti-defamation and βfake newsβ laws, disproportionate fines, arbitrary arrests, threats and physical violence are all tools used to silence activists and journalists who denounce unfair practices.
For example, in Cameroon, journalist Martinez Zogo, director of the private radio station Amplitude FM, was kidnapped by unknown men on January 17, 2023. His mutilated body was found in an empty plot on the outskirts of the capital, YaoundΓ©, on January 22. Prior to his abduction, he investigated and published information on the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of billions of CFA by political and business figures close to the Cameroonian government.
What you can do to help
Sign this petition to demand that West and Central African states stop prosecuting human rights defenders who speak out against corruption, bribery and abuse of power and take concrete and effective measures to protect and support them .