We need your help to demand that States in West and Central Africa protect anti-corruption human rights defenders by taking immediate measures to ensure they can report acts of corruption and other wrongdoings in an open manner, without fear of reprisals, and in accordance with the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.

What’s the problem?

Corruption is a scourge that hampers the economic, social and political development of our states and has a negative effect on human rights. Anti-corruption human rights defenders and whistle-blowers work courageously to expose and combat corruption, contributing to the creation of a more just and equitable society.

However, in West and Central Africa, those who expose corruption are often confronted with repression, intimidation, and harassment by the authorities. Laws against defamation and the spreading of «fake news», disproportionate fines, arbitrary arrests, threats, and physical violence are all tools used to silence activists and journalists who denounce dishonest practices.

For example, in Cameroon, journalist Martinez Zogo, director of the private radio station Amplitude FM, was abducted by unidentified men on 17 January 2023. His mutilated body was found on a vacant lot on the outskirts of the capital, Yaoundé, on 22 January. Before his abduction, he investigated and published information about the alleged embezzlement of hundreds of billions of CFA by political and business figures close to the Cameroonian government.

What you can do to help

Sign this petition to demand that West and Central African states stop persecuting human rights defenders who speak out against corruption, bribery, and abuse of power, and take concrete and effective measures to protect and support them.