Matinez Zogo, the director of Radio Amplitude, Cameroon, was kidnapped by unidentified assailants on January 17 and his dismembered body has been discovered near the capital Yaounde, five days later.
Martinez Zogo’s disappearance and death, according to media supporters, is another example of the dangers of reporting in the African country.
According to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Martinez Zogo was kidnapped by unknown assailants after attempting to enter a police station to escape his attackers. RSF reported that Zogo had lately spoken on the air about an alleged misappropriation involving a media organisation with government ties.
“Cameroonian media has just lost one of its members, a victim of hatred and barbarism,” Cameroon’s journalists’ trade union said in a statement. “Where is the freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Cameroon when working in the media now entails a mortal risk?”
SYNAJIC, a Cameroonian trade union of independent journalists, had earlier decried Zogo’s kidnapping and requested that authorities investigate the situation immediately and protect his safety. Cameroonian authorities eventually issued a statement indicating they had given orders to investigate the kidnapping, only for Zogo’s body to be discovered a few days later, with signs of torture.
“We are shocked and horrified by the kidnapping and brutal killing of journalist Martinez Zogo in Cameroon”, said Amy Brouillette, IPI Director of Advocacy. “The Cameroonian authorities have an obligation to swiftly and thoroughly investigate this crime Authorities must determine who was responsible, what their motive was, and bring them to justice.”
“In addition to fully investigating Zogo’s murder and securing justice, the Cameroonian government must put all necessary measures in place to ensure that critical journalists are safe and protected and able to carry out their work.” she added.
The attack is the latest in a series of attacks on journalists in Cameroon, which has a thriving press and is overseen by President Paul Biya, who has a long history of crushing opposition.
Cameroon is one of many countries throughout the continent, from Burkina Faso to Ethiopia to Equatorial Guinea, where journalists fear that authoritarian administrations are threatening media freedoms.