Koone Boikaego, a Photojournalist working for the Echo newspaper, and other photographer were on Friday, 19 November 2010 arrested and released after cutting a deal with a senior police officer, in which they were forced to delete pictures depicting police harassment. Boikaego who was covering the arrival of Botswanas beauty queen who recently won the Miss World second Princess, Emma Wareus, was busy taking pictures when the Senior Police Officer accused the photographer of pushing him.
He started to push me, in retaliation and I asked a fellow photographer, Thato Butheledzi to take pictures of the Police Officer who was pushing me, and I think that is how we rubbed the Senior Police Officer the wrong way, said Boikaego in an interview with MISA. Boikaego and Butheledzi were then taken to the SSKB Police Station where they were allegedly threatened until they succumbed to the police and deleted all the pushing photographs. Boikaego also added that I did not want to sleep in a cell, so I apologized quickly and agreed to delete the pictures from cameras. Boikaego said the Police Officer informed them that they cannot take pictures of him since this violates his privacy rights.
Butheledzi, is quoted in the media confirming the incident and said he did not know that he was inviting trouble when he took pictures of the abusive Police Officer. Butheledzi added that the Senior Police Officer said the Journalists should always obey the Police whenever they try to control us because as Police operating at the airport they handle sensitive issues. Efforts to speak to the Police were futile as the officer responsible was out of the office.
MISA-Botswana position
This is second incident within a month since another photojournalist was detained for some hours for refusing to give way to the police. This presents a new trend in the Botswana media Police relationship, and MISA-Botswana considers this as a worrying trend. MISA-Botswana also condemns the journalists for succumbing to the police and thereby denying the public the opportunity to see the picture. This behaviour is also contrary to the principles expressed in the Botswana Press Council code of ethics which reads: A media Practitioner shall at all times defend the principle of freedom of the press and other mass media by striving to eliminate news suppression and suppression and censorship. The code also states that a Media Practitioner must always work in the best interest of the public and resist undue interference from anybody.
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