Eric Topona
Eric Topona is a prominent radio journalist and currently serves as the secretary general of Union des Journalistes Tchadiens - Union of Chadian Journalists (UJT). The union was founded in 1989 and was the first such union to be created in the country. It works to defend the rights and strengthen the capacity of Chadian journalists.
Human rights defenders in Chad suffer from the culture of impunity, absence of rule of law and political instability that is prevalent throughout the country. The extreme political repression in Chad forms the backdrop to severe restrictions on freedom of expression. Defenders have reportedly been subjected to threats, harassment, stigmatization, physical assault, arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, judicial proceedings and ill-treatment and torture while in detention.
