JOHANNESBURG: US President Barack Obama and African leaders meeting at a breakthrough summit in Washington next week should commit to rolling back growing threats to freedom of expression on the continent, 15 rights groups said Friday.

Criminal and counterterrorism laws were being abused alongside restrictive media legislation and vague charges of endangering public security to limit free speech, the groups said in an open letter to the leaders.

The 15 signatories include the African offices of the International Commission of Jurists and Lawyers for Human Rights as well as women’s groups and civil society organizations.

Obama, whose election in 2008 as the first black American president sparked huge expectations in Africa, has invited 50 heads of state and government for a summit which will see the greatest ever concentration of African leadership in Washington.

While the three-day meeting will focus on trade and investment, the rights groups said the theme “Investing in the next generation” means that it should also address the role of civil society, women and youth in the development of Africa.