Nigerian police arrest, briefly detain 5 staff members of Peoples Gazette in Abuja
New York, July 22, 2022 — Nigerian authorities should cease harassing employees of the Peoples Gazette and reform the country’s laws to decriminalize defamation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. Mid-day on Friday, July 22, police arrived at the privately owned news website’s office in Abuja, the capital, and arrested assistant managing editor John…
Ugandan authorities investigate 4 journalists in murder case, charge and jail 2
Nairobi, July 22, 2022 – Ugandan authorities should release journalists Ivan Mutyaba and Denis Isabirye immediately, drop all the charges against them, and drop their investigations into reporters Jacklin Nabatanzi and Muganza Julius Kiyumba, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. The four journalists are among a group of suspects recently arrested for their alleged…
Angolan journalists harassed while covering election rallies
New York, July 21, 2022 — Angolan authorities should thoroughly investigate all instances of the harassment of journalists ahead of the country’s August 24 elections, and ensure that members of the press can cover the campaign safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Since July 1, at least three journalists have been harassed or…
CPJ joins UN complaint on behalf of jailed Eritrean journalists
On July 21, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in partnership with seven other rights organizations and lawyers in a complaint filed to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calling for accountability in the cases of Dawit Isaak and fifteen other journalists held behind bars…
DRC journalist Joseph Kazadi remains behind bars after release of US reporter Nicolas Niarchos
New York, July 20, 2022 – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should immediately release journalist Joseph Kazadi Kamuanga and ensure the press can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On July 13, officers with the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) arrested U.S. freelance journalist Nicolas Niarchos and…
Somaliland authorities indefinitely suspend BBC
Nairobi, July 20, 2022— In response to news reports that authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland on July 19 indefinitely suspended the BBC, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Taking the BBC off the air will only rob the public of access to a source of critical reporting on matters of…
Tigrayan authorities in Ethiopia detain 5 Tigrai TV journalists
Nairobi, July 20, 2022 – Authorities in the Ethiopian region of Tigray should immediately release five Tigrai TV journalists who were recently taken into custody for their work, as well as all other members of the press behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Regional authorities in the state of Tigray, who are…
Botswana journalist Tshepo Sethibe criminally charged over ‘alarming publications’
Lusaka, July 19, 2022 – Botswana authorities should immediately drop the criminal charge against Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler director Tshepo Sethibe, return devices seized from the outlet, and refrain from harassing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On July 13, about 25 law enforcement officers arrested Sethibe at his home in the town…
‘Permanent fear’: Togolese journalists on their lives 1 year after Pegasus Project revelations
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The…
Tanzanian regulator suspends DarMpya online news outlet, citing expired license
Nairobi, July 12, 2022 – Tanzanian authorities should allow the DarMpya online news outlet to resume operations without further interference and reform the country’s online content regulations so they cannot be used to muzzle the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On July 1, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) ordered DarMpya to…