Sierra Leone journalist Sorie Saio Sesay detained for 6 days
Abuja, June 14, 2022 – Authorities in Sierra Leone should drop their investigation into journalist Sorie Saio Sesay, return his mobile phone, and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Tuesday. On May 26, police officers in the northwestern town of Kamakwie arrested Sesay, a reporter with the privately owned Okentuhun…
CPJ joins call for Commonwealth leaders to urge Rwanda to respect human rights
On June 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined 23 other civil society organizations in a letter expressing “grave concerns” about the human rights situation in Rwanda ahead of the June 20 start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where leaders of Commonwealth nations will meet in the country. The organizations note that there…
CPJ condemns conviction of New York Times freelance journalist Jeffrey Moyo in Zimbabwe
Durban, June 14, 2022 — In response to news reports that a Zimbabwe court convicted New York Times freelance correspondent Jeffrey Moyo on Tuesday of breaching the country’s immigration laws and issued him a suspended sentence and a fine, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement of condemnation: “Today’s conviction of journalist Jeffrey…
Burkina Faso journalist Luc Pagbelguem says prime minister’s bodyguard attacked him
Dakar, June 13, 2022 – Burkina Faso authorities should investigate the recent attack on journalist Luc Pagbelguem and hold that person to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On May 19, a member of Prime Minister Albert Ouédraogo’s security detail grabbed Pagbelguem, a reporter with privately owned TV station BF1, pulled him to…
Two Ghanaian journalists attacked at Benya FM, one left unconscious
On May 16, 2022, at around 7:30 p.m., three men forced their way into privately owned Ghanaianbroadcaster Benya FM in the town of Elminaon the southern Takoradi highway, attacked two of the station’s staff — program host Eric Blessing Eshun and producer Emmanuel Egyirfah— and destroyed equipment, according a report by the privately owned news…
Proposed amendment to Mozambique’s anti-terror law threatens press freedom
New York, June 7, 2022 — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi should not sign amendments to the country’s anti-terror legislation into law and should instead ask parliament to change a sweeping clause that could criminalize reporting about the insurgency in northern Mozambique, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday. On June 3, the amendment bill…
Police charge ZimLive editor Mduduzi Mathuthu with insulting the president
Lusaka, June 6, 2022 – On Monday, police in Bulawayo in southwest Zimbabwe detained Mduduzi Mathuthu, editor of privately owned news website ZimLive, and charged him with insulting or undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa over a tweet he wrote about the president’s fiscal policies, according to news reports and a statement from the regional press freedom group, Media Institute…
Three DRC journalists get death threats for posts about conflict in the country’s east
Kinshasa, June 6, 2022 – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must ensure the safety of journalists Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, Steve Wembi, and John Lungila and investigate the threats made against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday. Since Monday, May 30, Bujakera, a reporter with privately owned, France-based Jeune Afrique…
Ethiopia detains journalists Bekalu Alamrew and Meaza Mohammed in ongoing media crackdown
Nairobi, June 3, 2022– The Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday called on Ethiopian authorities to unconditionally release Bekalu Alamrew and Meaza Mohammed, the latest journalists to be swept up in the country’s recent crackdown on the press. At around 4 p.m. on Friday, May 27, security officers detained Bekalu, the founder and chief editor…
South Sudan state government suspends Radio Jonglei for five days over political coverage
On May 19, 2022, John Samuel Manyuon, minister of information and communication in South Sudan’s east-central Jonglei State, ordered the suspension of the local Radio Jonglei community broadcaster in Bor town, according to media reports, as well as Manyuon and managers at the radio station, who spoke with CPJ over the phone. The suspension was…