Ghana police detain 2 Citi FM journalists, beat 1 in custody
Abuja, May 25, 2021 – Ghanaian authorities must thoroughly investigate allegations that police officers beat journalist Caleb Kudah in custody; arbitrarily detained Kudah and his colleague, Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo; and deleted photos from their phones, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 11, police officers in Accra, the capital, detained and beat Kudah,…
Oromia Broadcasting Network journalist Sisay Fida shot and killed in Ethiopia
Nairobi, May 21, 2021 — Ethiopian authorities must swiftly and credibly investigate the killing of reporter Sisay Fida and guarantee the safety of journalists in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the evening of May 9, two unidentified attackers in the town of Dembi Dollo, in the Oromia region, shot and…
CPJ condemns Ethiopia’s expulsion of New York Times reporter Simon Marks
Nairobi, May 21, 2021—In response to Ethiopia’s expulsion yesterday of New York Times reporter Simon Marks following allegations of “fake news” about the ongoing conflict in the Tigray region, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Ethiopia’s decision to expel Simon Marks, without warning or explanation, exposes the government’s disturbing efforts to control…
Zimbabwe journalists charged with criminal insult over interview on politician’s personal life
New York, May 21, 2021 — Zimbabwean authorities must immediately drop the insult charges against two journalists with the Zim Morning Post news website and repeal the country’s criminal insult laws, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 14, officers from the Law and Order section of the Central Police Station in Harare,…
Angola suspends 3 TV channels for alleged improper registration
New York, May 14, 2021 — Angola’s government should allow the television channels Record TV Africa, Vida TV, and Zap Viva to return to the airwaves, and should stop harassing media outlets critical of the government, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 19, the Ministry of Telecommunications Technologies and Media (MINTTICS) ordered…
CPJ joins call for Mauritius to reject ICT Act amendments that threaten online speech
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined more than 50 organizations and individuals in co-signing a letter calling on the government of Mauritius to retract proposed changes to the country’s Information and Communication Technologies Act, known as the ICT Act. The letter, addressed to the Information and Communication Technologies Authority, expressed concern that the amendments’…
Zambian columnist Sishuwa Sishuwa could face sedition charge for opinion piece on election
Lusaka, Zambia, May 12, 2021 — Zambian authorities should drop an investigation into newspaper columnist and academic Sishuwa Sishuwa, who is accused of sedition, and should reaffirm the right to media freedom ahead of the August 12 general elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sishuwa, a lecturer at the University of Zambia, wrote…
Tanzanian reporter Jesse Mikofu beaten, harassed in Zanzibar
On April 21, 2021, security officers in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago in Tanzania, beat and harassed Jesse Mikofu, a reporter with the privately owned Mwananchi newspaper, according to news reports, a statement by the Media Council of Tanzania, an independent self-regulatory body, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Three officers from…
CPJ calls for immediate release of kidnapped French journalist Olivier Dubois in Mali
New York, May 7, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed great concern for the safety of French journalist Olivier Dubois, and called on any party holding him in custody to release him immediately and without harm. “French journalist Olivier Dubois must be released immediately and unharmed, and French and Malian authorities should…
In Burkina Faso, Spanish journalist killings underscore broader dangers to the press
The murder of Spanish reporters David Beriain and Roberto Fraile by unidentified attackers last week in eastern Burkina Faso was a tragic example of the dangerous working conditions for journalists in the country, where the government has struggled to contain a rise in militant activity in recent years. Beriain and Fraile were kidnapped along with Rory Young, an Irish conservation worker, from an anti-poaching convoy…