Pius Njawe
Encyclopedia
Pius Njawé was a Cameroon
ian journalist and director of Le Messager
as well as Le Messager Populi. He had been known as one of the strongest advocates for press freedom in Africa beginning with his founding of Le Messager in 1979.
where he lived. He was arrested and imprisoned 126 times in the last thirty years of his life.
. In 1990 his publishing of "Open Letter", to Biya, led to his arrest. In 1998 he was sentenced to two years in prison because the newspaper ran an article about President Paul Biya's health that indicated he had a heart condition. The sentence for running this article was later reduced and, due to pressures from Human Rights groups, he was pardoned after almost a year in prison. His wife had miscarried in the interim reportedly due to treatment by prison guards.
in the United States
. The accident happened when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the car in which Njawé was a passenger. Njawé's wife Jane had been killed in a car accident in September 2002.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian journalist and director of Le Messager
Le Messager
Le Messager is a daily newspaper in Cameroon. It was founded in 1979 by Pius Njawé, who in 2009 said that he had been arrested 126 times in 30 years. Reporters without Borders called it "the country’s first campaigning newspaper".-External links:*...
as well as Le Messager Populi. He had been known as one of the strongest advocates for press freedom in Africa beginning with his founding of Le Messager in 1979.
Early career
At the age of 19, he helped reveal the news oil had been discovered in Cameroon. This led to his first arrest. A few years later he stated that he was tortured for writing about the poor results of students in DoualaDouala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
where he lived. He was arrested and imprisoned 126 times in the last thirty years of his life.
Njawé and Le Messager
The paper became known for its criticism of President Paul BiyaPaul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
. In 1990 his publishing of "Open Letter", to Biya, led to his arrest. In 1998 he was sentenced to two years in prison because the newspaper ran an article about President Paul Biya's health that indicated he had a heart condition. The sentence for running this article was later reduced and, due to pressures from Human Rights groups, he was pardoned after almost a year in prison. His wife had miscarried in the interim reportedly due to treatment by prison guards.
Awards
- CPJ International Press Freedom AwardsCPJ International Press Freedom AwardsThe CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honour journalists around the world who show courage in defending press freedom in the face of attacks, threats or imprisonment. Created in 1991, the awards are administered by the Committee to Protect Journalists....
(1991) - World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom AwardWorld Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom AwardThe Golden Pen of Freedom Award is an annual international journalism award established in 1961, given by the World Association of Newspapers to individuals or organisations. The stated purpose of the award is "to recognise the outstanding action, in writing or deed, of an individual, a group or an...
(1993)
Death
On July 12, 2010, Njawé was killed in a car accident in Chesapeake, VirginiaChesapeake, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The accident happened when a tractor-trailer rear-ended the car in which Njawé was a passenger. Njawé's wife Jane had been killed in a car accident in September 2002.