WAJA Welcomes Arrest Of Killers Of Journalist Brown In Liberia

The West African Journalists Association (WAJA) has welcomed the arrest of the suspected killers of Liberia based journalist Tyron Brown, who was found dead in the suburbs of Monrovia in the early hours of April 16, 2018.

WAJA in a statement by its president, Peter Quaqua, said it was concerned about the motive behind the murder of such a young journalist and called on the Liberian authorities to speedily prosecute the matter to determine whether or not he was targeted on account of his job.

“WAJA believes it is in the interest of the state to quickly resolve the brutal killing of Tyron to dispel any misgivings about his death and set the tone to fight impunity for crimes against journalists.

“Tyron’s death is not only a worrying concern for other young journalists who are yet to reach their full potentials, but it has a chilling effect on the entire journalism community and other young people in the country,” Quaqua said.

While noting the apparent tension between the government and the media in the recent past, the WAJA president said the association has petitioned President George Weah not to roll back the gains made in the media landscape over the years of peace, but work towards further enabling the operating environment.

At the same time, WAJA urged solidarity and self-regulation among media practitioners in protecting the media space for public good.

The sub-regional media body observed that pronouncement about upholding press freedom is a necessary first step, but those assertions will come to nothing unless concrete measures are taken to safeguard press freedom.

Quaua appealed to the Liberian government to act on two media reform instruments currently holdup in the legislature, (the bills to repeal criminal defamation and to transform the state radio), which could elevate the government’s claims to press freedom.