An Epidemic

Or maybe the suppression of free expression is just more noticeable in this age.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki appears to be taking some totalitarian steps that are frightening to me personally, as well as being another blow to an Africa that seems to take two or more steps backward for every step forward toward having more than a handful of free, open and peaceful societies.

Johannesburg - The African Editors' Forum (TAEF) has called on Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and his government to stop terrorising Kenyan journalists.

It said that Thursday morning's raid on The Standard newspaper in Nairobi by armed and masked police had shocked editors throughout Africa.

TAEF said: "We call for the immediate release of those detained, for the return of equipment stolen, and for the government to pay for the speedy repairs of broadcasting and printing equipment vandalised by the rogue policemen.

"They forced the 24-hour television station off air, took computers from the newspaper's newsroom and beat up staff and security personnel, among other illegal actions."

From the Telegraph (UK):

Tens of thousands of copies of yesterday's edition were set on fire in yards outside The Standard Group's print warehouses, where equipment was also badly damaged.

According to Tom Mshindi, of the group, the armed men, carrying AK-47 rifles and said to number at least 100, arrived in unmarked four-wheel-drive vehicles at about midnight.

His journalists recognised several as being members of an elite cadre of Kenya's police force.

The reason for the raid?

The raid came after three Standard journalists, arrested on Tuesday, were yesterday charged in Nairobi's magistrates' courts with printing "an alarming publication". On Saturday the newspaper alleged that President Mwai Kibaki and Kalonzo Musyoka, an opposition figure who helped lead the campaign to vote down a new constitution favoured by Mr Kibaki in a November referendum, had met secretly.

As most regular readers of this blog know, I have an interest in the well-being of one particular Kenyan journalist. My father is the managing editor of the Kenya's Daily Nation and has been an uncomprimising critic of his president. He has experienced some persecution during his long career, but he's an old man now. Still, it's not in my nature to worry.

Sunday is the day of his weekly op-ed piece, and with Nairobi being nine hours ahead of Los Angeles, I've been waiting until this afternoon to comment upon this turn of events in order to see what he had to say. I will post it later if it's on topic.

(Thanks to Tim Worstall and to readers Marty and Veeshir)

UPDATE: Bare Knuckle Politics has a video of the TV station raid. These things don't go as well hidden as they used to.

(Thanks to Glenn Reynolds)