(Photo credit: Mohamed Nanabhay)M
English PEN’s President Philippe Sands is among the many writers and academics to have added their support to the following letter calling for all charges against Nigerian journalist Omoleye Sowore to be dropped.
Dear Sir or Madame,
We, the undersigned, write to express our deep concern regarding the arrest of journalist and activist Mr. Omoyele Sowore in Nigeria on August 3, 2019. Sowore was detained without bail by the Nigerian State Security Service in Lagos. There are seven charges against him including treason and money laundering. A High Court judge has ruled that Sowore should be released pending his trial but must surrender his passport.
Mr. Sowore is a world-renowned journalist. He has pioneered new and important avenues in the field of investigative journalism. He is a graduate of the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. In addition, he is the founder of the well-known online investigative news outlet, Sahara Reporters that focuses on corruption and political misconduct.
Many colleagues in the worlds of journalism and academia hold Mr. Sowore in great esteem for his life-long effort in speaking truth to power.
Please consider dropping the charges against Mr. Sowore and please release him as soon as possible.
Sincerely
Ned Phelps, winner of the 2006 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
Philippe Sands QC, President of English PEN
Niran Okewole, Second Vice President, PEN Nigeria & Chair, Writers in Prison Committee
Zaffar Abbas editor, Dawn newspaper, Pakistan
Victor Herrero
Aguayo
Roby Alampay Business World, Philippines
Guilherme Amado Abraji, EPOCA, Brazil
Mauricio Angelo The Mining Observatory, Brazil
Jennifer Avila Contracorrente, Honduras
Karen Attiah Journalist, Washington Post
Caelain Barr The Guardian
Eliza Margarita Bates
Benjamin Becker USA
Nathalie Bertrams freelance journalist, Brussels
Charl Blignaut City Press, South Africa
Shanta Bloemen
Clifford Bob Professor, Duquesne University
Christopher Booker Journalist, PBS
Anissa Bouziane writer
Cate Brown
Thanassii Cambanis senior fellow, The Century Foundation
Prue Clarke Senior Executive Officer at the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas
Oliver Classen Media Director, Public Eye, Switzerland
Carl Collison freelance journalist
Sheila Coronel Professor, Columbia Journalism School
Ann Cooper Ann Cooper, Professor Emirata, Columbia Journalism School
Peter Cunliffe-Jones Author & Africheck
Pooja Dantewadia data journalist, India
Jacqueline Davalos
Ides Debruyn Journalismfund.eu
Samuel de Jaeger Austria
Anuska Delic Ostrp, Slovenia
Paulette Desormeaux Sembra Media
Amira Dhalla
Kunda Dixit Nepali Times
Marius Draogmir Director, Center for Media, Data and Society
Claudia Dreifus Professor, Columbia University
Pamela Druckerman writer, Paris
Ngozi Marion
Emmanuel Nigeria/UK
Ingrid Ernø International Development Consultant
Govindraj Ethiraj founder, India Spend
Liza Featherstone Journalist, The Nation
Maxime Ferrer Le Monde
Mary Fitzgerald Open Democracy
Will Fitzgibbon ICIJ
Nathaniel Parrish
Flannery
Claudia Fischer, Freelance journalist, Germany
Rana Foroohar, Journalist, FT & CNN
Ingrid Gercama freelance journalist, Netherlands
Catherine Gicheru, journalist, ICFJ
Todd Gitlin Professor, Columbia Journalism School
Misha Glenny, Journalist
Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN
Steven Greenhouse, former New York Times reporter
Kristen Grennan
Maureen Grisot
John Grobler Investigative journalist, Namibia
Emilie Guitard Laboratoire PRODIG, CNRS.
Mujib Habibzai
Ferrial Haffajee journalist, editor
Delphine Halgand-
Mishra executive director, The Signals Network
Anton Harber Univeristy of Witswatersrand, South Africa
Ernest Harsch Journalist & Research Scholar, Insitute of African Studies, Columbia University
Larry Heinzerling Columbia University
Stefanie Helbig jounalist, Autorenwerk
James Hollings Professor, Massey University
Robert Howse Professor New York University
Carlos Huertas Connectas
Mark Lee Hunter founding member, Global Investigative Journalism Network
Houb Jaspers VPRO Broadcasting, the Netherlands
Elunya Joseph Uganda
Kago Kamane Ink Centre for Investigative Journalism, Botswana
Tim Karr Tim Karr
Shruti Kedia
Leonard
Kehnscherper Switzerland
Ruby Khan
Sameeksha Khare
Peter Klein Executive Director, Global Reporting Centre
Sophie Knowles Middlesex University, UK
Andrea Kramar
Kamel Labidi Journalist and Human Rights Defender
Kirsty Lang Journalist
Patrick Langat Daily Nation, Kenya
Thomas Lansner Professor, Columbia University
Jan Lublinski DW Akademie
Tom Maliti Journalist, International Justice Monitor
Gregory Mann Professor, Columbia University
Niha Masik
Dr. C McMahon
Karolina Koc
Michalska Professor, Audiencia Business School
Andrea Milivojevic Cenrer for Investigative Journalism, Serbia
Mira Milosevic GFMD
Miriam Missbichler Sciences-Po
Marius Moniak Goethe University
Elise Mougin Science Po
Jessica Murray
Joseph Mwenda Zambia News Diggers
Kwetey Nartey Joy News, Ghana
Okey Ndibe Novelist
Akbar Noman Columbia University
Sarah Jane Noujeim
Ntibinyane
Ntibinyane Ink Centre for Investigative Journalism, Botswana
Anselm Okolo Journalist
Ivan Okuda Wits University
Dayo Olopade
Joshua Olufemi Premium Times
Barnaby Pace Global Witness
Samantha Pilane Ink Centre for Investigative Journalism, Botswana
Ned Phelps Nobel Prize in Economics, 2006
Viviana Phelps
Rafael Rauch Swiss TV
Gavin Rees Dart Center, London
Mosibudi Rettebjane journalist, South Africa
Yazan Rous Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
Stella Roque Open Markets Institute, Washington DC
Juliana Ruhfu Al Jazeera
Rana Sabbagh executive director, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism
Felix Salmon Journalist
Philippe Sands Q.C.
Joseph J Sass
Anya Schiffrin Professor, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
J. Ross Settles Hong Kong University
Liuba Șevciuc Rise Moldova
Bruce Shapiro Journalist and Professor, Dart Center, Columbia Journalism School
Khadija Sharife Africa Editor, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
Jayeeta Sharma Professor, University of Toronto
Francisca Skoknick director, School of Journalism, University Diego Portales, Chile
Sandisiwe Shoba Daily Maverick, South Africa
Helene Spiritus Brazil
Christoph Spurk Professor, Institute of Applied Media Studies
Dean Starkman Journalist
Mark Steitz Professor, Columbia University
Ruti Teitel Ernest C Stiefel professor, New York Law School
Sanne Teringen Argos, VPRO (Netherlands)
Deepak Tiwari India
Julia Ritz Toffoli
Estacio Valoi Mozambique Investigative Journalism Center
Sofia Vargas C4ADS
Raffi Wartanian
Jeanny Wasielewski
Leon William