ASF France, Partners Train Journalists, Lawyers on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation

Amby Uneze in Owerri

The dangers journalists face in the field of their daily duty to serve the public on the day-to-day events as the watchdog of the society are enormous and these were brought to the focus recently during a two-day training workshop organised for them by the Avocats Sans Frontieres France (ASFF) otherwise known as Lawyers without Borders in Lagos, Nigeria.

The training programme was funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by ASF France in Nigeria in partnership with Spaces for Change (S4C), and the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITD) under the e-Rights (enhancing digital rights in Nigeria) with their firm believe that all human rights are also applicable in the digital sphere for governments, businesses and individuals to demonstrate utmost respect for human rights offline and online.

Training theme of the programme was: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and the organisers brought some selected journalists from Imo and Lagos states, and lawyers together to deliberate on the practical experience bothering on intimidation they encounter in the hands of law enforcement agents and the judiciary as they ply their daily work routine.

Welcoming the participants to the training, the Country Director of ASF France in Nigeria, Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, highlighted some of the SLAPP issues such as silencing journalists, instigate journalism anti-corruption charges, restricting press freedom, clamping journalists through flimsy charges like cyber-bullying, cyber-crime, others.

She pointed out that her organisation has been providing media defence against all odds, through free legal support to journalists, noting that in order to contribute in legislating matters, they recently interfaced with the members of the National Assembly in Lagos to discuss the issues for legislative intervention as well as assisting to curb digital-facilitated gender violence.

According to her, “we are involved in legislating in 16 cases so far involving journalists accused of SLAPP.”

In their separate presentations, Dr. Abiodun Odusote of the Law department of the University of Lagos and Dr. Folashade Adegbite, also of the University of Lagos condemned the intrigues those in high public office apply in connivance with the law enforcement officers who act on instructions based on their flimsy petitions against some journalists they perceive as having exposed some of their dealings by effecting their arrest over weekend so as to spent the whole of the weekend in custody without bail.

They also expressed concern over what they called ‘abuse of court processes’ by some judges and magistrates who align with the prosecutors to deny bail to the accused journalists or apply delay tactics just to punish the accused unjustly.

The experts decry the activities of the highly placed public office holders whose interest to punish journalists was to deter them from exposing their hidden agenda in order to evade public accountability, hence they continue to use intimidation, impunity, state capture as a weapon against free press.

Journalists were urged to contact active lawyers in that aspect of the law whenever they have court summons over bullying based on their reportage, as a competent lawyer would always find a clause to get the case dismissed for want of evidence.

Participants drawn from Lagos and Imo states expressed excitement and commendation to the organisers for such an enriching workshop that exposed them to be abreast of their rights to freedom of expression and roles as the watchdog of the society.