Ahmed Abba is a Cameroonian journalist, correspondent for the

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

broadcast service operated by

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

. He was questioned and detained for his reportage on Boko Haram and was incarcerated in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

for 876 days. He was released in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

on December 22, 2017.

Career

According to

, the media outlet he worked for, Abba's reportage comprised issues surrounding refugee movement, political asylum and amnesty, assimilation, and society. His repertoire also included writing about Boko Haram's movement in West Africa, as well as their territory, strategies and beliefs, and most importantly, terrorist attacks.

Arrest and trial

Abba was arrested en route from a press briefing in the Cameroonian city of Maroua, after having met with a local governor there on July 30, 2015. He was taken to the nation's capital, detained, and refused an attorney until October 19, nearly three months after the arrest. One news report also noted that Abba's legal statement was not recorded until November 13. This is illegal, as per both the English Common Law and the French Civil Law, legal systems followed in regions of Cameroon. Abba's trial began on February 29 of the following year, where the Court charged him of "non-denunciation of terrorism," "laundering of the proceeds of terrorist acts," and "apologizing for acts of terrorism." The military tribunal acquitted Abba from this last one. Due to an anti-terrorism law reintroduced in 2014, some organizations feared that Abba could face the death penalty. On April 6, the military prosecutor requested the death penalty. However, he changed his request days later to life imprisonment. Nearly two months later, on April 24, he was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration and fined 55 million Central African francs, as per his lawyer, Clément Nakong. Abba appealed this sentence, according to his lawyer. After spending months in jail, Abba was summoned on August 17 to give his defense before the appeals court, which did not overturn his previous sentence.

Release

On December 22, 2017, Abba was released from the Yaoundé prison in which he had been held for almost 29 months. His release was welcomed by journalists and press freedom advocates worldwide.

Awards and recognition

On December 16, 2017, Abba was honored as an International Press Freedom Awardee by the

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...

, at their annual convention in New York. His story and case were also spotlighted on the Committee to Protect Journalists' special report on violence against journalists in Cameroon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abba, Ahmed 1980 births Cameroonian journalists Living people