Thomas Nguanyi, a prize winning journalist with the BBC World Service and a founding member of the Cameroon Association of Commonwealth Journalists, has gone into hiding in Britain, after his asylum application was rejected early this year. Nguanyi was arrested in Cameroon last year, and accused of espionage. Diplomatic pressure secured his release, and the BBC arranged an immediate flight to Britain. Nguanyi’s family were harassed, and his sister detained and tortured in attempts to find out were he was. Nevertheless, the BBC tried to convince him to return and “continue reporting”. His asylum application was rejected after evidence supporting his application from a French-language newspaper was not translated, and he was without active support from the BBC. Nguanyi managed to escape pre-deportation detention after he was hospitalised in early April.

From Green Left Weekly, May 4, 2005.
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