Welcome to the latest newsletter from the African Press Network for the 21st Century (RAP21), brought to you by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Below you will find a digest of our recent news items concerning the independent press from across Africa. Click the links or visit the RAP21 website to read more about these issues and to access our news archives and press freedom information.

You may also be interested in our Press Freedom and Arab Press Network (APN) websites as well as our Arab Newspaper Development Programme, ANDP.

Please feel free to circulate this newsletter to colleagues and friends.

If you would like to unsubscribe from this service please send an email with “unsubscribe” in the subject field.

Supporting Press Freedom Through the Courts

London-based Media Legal Defence Initiative, (MLDI), works around the world providing legal support to journalists and media outlets seeking to protect their right to freedom of expression.

WAN-IFRA spoke with Gugulethu Moyo, Executive Director at MLDI, to gain more of an insight into the work of the organisation. more…

WAN-IFRA Condemns Prosecution of Nigerian Publisher              

WAN-IFRA has condemned the prosecution in Nigeria of editor and publisher Mallam Tukur and, in a letter sent to President Umaru Yar’Adua, called on the government to decriminalise libel as a matter of urgency. more…

WAN-IFRA Condemns Sentencing of Three Rwandan Journalists

WAN-IFRA has condemned the sentencing in Rwanda of three journalists on charges of invasion of privacy. More

WAN-IFRA Expo Africa: Free Event for the Press and Media Industry

Join the biggest exhibition for newspaper publishing and media groups in Africa on 1 and 2 April 2010 in Casablanca, Morocco. The event will provide the opportunity to discover various software, solutions and equipment offerings specially developed for newspaper operations.

Detailed programme and registration: www.ifra.com/afrique-expo. Contact Sandrine Proton for more information.

The 4th Arab Free Press Forum, 6-7 June

What Lies Ahead for the Independent Arab Press?

Beirut, Lebanon, will host the 4th Arab Free Press Forum in the first of a series of exceptional events planned for the city this coming June. Organized by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), this year's edition of the Arab Free Press Forum will be held in the build up to the 63rd World Newspaper Congress and 17th World Editors Forum.

Contact Virginie Jouan (vjouan@wan.asso.fr), Director of Press Freedom and Media Development at WAN-IFRA, for more information on how to register for the Arab Free Press Forum.

Visit www.wanlebanon2010.com for information on the World Newspaper Congress.

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organisation was created following the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.

Contact us for more information about RAP21, Press Freedom issues and the work of WAN-IFRA.