Cameroon: Journalist abducted and killed

The managing director of Yaounde-based radio Amplitude FM, Martinez Zogo, and host of popular daily programme, Embouteillages, was abducted on Tuesday, 17 January by "unknown assailants” and his mutilated body found dead five days later in Ebogo, 15 kilometers away from the capital Yaounde.

Credit: IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate Le Syndicat National des Journalistes du Cameroun (SNJC) in condemning this barbaric act and calling on the government of Cameroon to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Media reports say the journalist had been talking recently in his programmes about an embezzlement case “involving a media outlet with government connections.” Zogo has been described as a fearless journalist who would not hesitate to condemn corruption, even calling out names on his programmes.

In a statement published on 22 January, the SNJC says Zogo was “a victim of hatred and barbarism". The union points to Zogo's killing, saying that this crime represent a threat to freedom of the press in the country. The union has asked media workers in Cameroon to wear black on 25 January in a sign of mourning their colleague.

 

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger, said that the killing of journalist Martinez Zogo was unacceptable and should be duly investigated. “The killing of Martinez is terrible indictment of the levels of intolerance to truth and accountability. He did nothing more than his job in exposing corruption and abuse of power. The fact that he was killed for exercising his right as a journalist to inform the public on issues of general interest shows that there are forces opposed to a democratic rule in Cameroon.”

The IFJ calls on the Government of Cameroon to conduct an independent investigation into the killing of Martinez Zogo and to ensure by all means necessary that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.

For more Information, please contact the IFJ - Africa Office

1st Floor, Maison de la Presse, 5 Rue X Corniche, Medina,

BP 64257, Dakar, Senegal

Tel: +221- 33 867 95 86/87; Fax: +221- 33 827 02