Death of Journalist Samuel Wazizi in Cameroon: RSF Denounces “Undecent and Unacceptable” Explanations

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounces the mock explanation about the death of the TV presenter confirmed by the authorities and calls for the opening of an impartial and independent investigation to establish the facts about the specific circumstances which led to the death of the journalist some only days after his arrest and incommunicado detention in August 2019.

The press release read this Friday, June 5 on the waves of the Cameroonian public radio and television (CRTV) and signed by the head of communication of the Ministry of Defense is far from providing credible answers to the questions surrounding the death of journalist Samuel Wazizi. If the authorities finally recognize, 10 months after the facts, the death of the presenter of the regional channel Chillen Media Television (CMTV), the explanations do not hold. Officially, the death, according to them, resulted from “the consequences of severe sepsis” and not from “any act of torture”. The message specifies that the journalist died at the military hospital in Yaoundé on August 17, 2019, four days after his transfer to the political capital of the country. The ministry also claims that the family who were “in close contact” with him during his hospital stay were “informed” of his death.

Joined by RSF, one of Samuel Wazizi’s brothers categorically denied this version, saying that like the other family members and the journalist’s lawyers, he had never had the slightest contact with him since he was recovered by the military on August 7, 2019. No family member has received any confirmation of his death. The journalist’s brother also said that the journalist was in “perfect health” at the time of his arrest.

RSF was able to consult several photos of the journalist taken in Yaoundé on August 13, 2019. He presents numerous injuries and inflammations in his foot, hand and shoulder which legitimately allow us to suspect acts of torture inflicted in the previous days.

Since the very beginning of the case, Samuel Wazizi’s lawyers have also continuously requested access to their client and the facts they were accused of without ever receiving information that the journalist had died.

The journalist was arrested on August 2, 2019 by the Muea police in the English-speaking region of the Southwest before being recovered by the 21st motorized infantry battalion of Buéa, the capital of the region, on August 7. According to an investigation by RSF, the lawyer for journalist Emmanuel Nkea is one of the last people to have seen him alive. Samuel Wazizi then told him that his arrest was linked to critical remarks he had made on his channel concerning the management of the English-speaking crisis in Cameroon. Since that date, neither family members, nor even his lawyers have been able to contact the journalist.

“The explanations provided by the Cameroonian authorities are indecent and unacceptable as they stand , denounces Arnaud Froger, head of the RSF Africa office. The journalist’s family was never informed of his death. The emotion of his brother joined by our organization was also perceptible on the phone when he realized that this information was now official. As for the circumstances of the journalist’s death, they deserve an impartial and independent investigation involving an autopsy of his body. Samuel Wazizi was in good health at the time of his arrest. Given the many gray areas, late and very little credible explanations provided so far, only additional and transparent investigations will reveal the truth. “

Cameroon has lost three places and is now 134th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index established in 2020 by RSF.