Australia: Cameroonian journalist denied visa by immigration officers

Mimi Mefo, a Berlin-based journalist was reportedly denied a visa by the Australian government as the immigration authority were "not satisfied" that the applicant's employment and financial situation provided an incentive to return. Mefo is an award-winning Cameroonian journalist who was scheduled to speak at the Integrity 20 conference on October 25 and was due to travel to Australia from South Africa to deliver a lecture at the African investigative journalism conference. 

According to an international media outlet the spokesperson claimed the decisions that were made were only after full and careful consideration of the information provided by the applicant and any other relevant information held by the department, and accordance with Australia's migration legislation. He further added that the decision-maker must be satisfied that health, character, security and genuine temporary entry and stay requirements are met in order to grant a visa. 

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Condemns authority

Mefo is the winner of this year's Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award. The chief executive of Index Censorship, Jodie Ginsberg reportedly claimed that the idea Mefo would jeopardize a two-year contract with Deutsche Welle, the company she works in, to seek asylum was "nonsense". She further added that she suspects the immigration authority did not perhaps take into account all the documentation which demonstrates her achievements and the fact that she was going straight to her talk in South Africa.

Another Australian journalist and chair of the Walkley Foundation, Kerry O'Brien defended Mefo as he told an international media outlet that Mefo was a highly respected journalist who had been jailed for truthful reporting in Cameroon and awarded for her journalism. He also claimed that in 2018 Mefo spent four days in jail for reporting allegations of military involvement in the death of a US missionary. She was released after international pressure. O'Brien said it is a sad irony that the government would decide to stop Mimi from coming to Australia to participate in a serious forum in a discussion on the importance of a free press and freedom from censorship. 

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