Africa

  
Ivory Coast politician Guillaume Soro, pictured in Abidjan in February, has filed a legal complaint against the director of a weekly newspaper. (AFP/Issouf Sanogo)

Presidential hopeful Soro should drop complaint against Ivory Coast journalist

Abidjan, June 6, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Ivory Coast politician Guillaume Soro to withdraw a criminal complaint against Sidi Tehra, director of the privately owned weekly L’Essor Ivoirien, and champion the reform of the country’s penal code to ensure that journalists are not imprisoned for their work.

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Kenya Television Network cameraman Bonface Kirera Magana is seen outside a hospital in Kyumbi, Machakos county, where he and other journalists went to receive treatment after they were attacked at a local high school. (Image via Standard Group, used with permission)

Journalists assaulted, news vehicle burned at Kenyan high school

Nairobi, June 5, 2019 — Kenyan authorities should thoroughly investigate the attack on a Kenya Television Network news team at a Machakos county high school and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Members of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie patrol Buea in October 2018, during a political rally. In a letter to the UN Security Council, CPJ and other groups have highlighted the deteriorating situation, including the jailing of journalists, in parts of Cameroon. (AFP/Marco Longari)

CPJ joins call for UN Security Council to act on Cameroon crisis

The Committee to Protect Journalists and eight other civil society organizations sent a letter to members of the United Nations Security Council about the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Cameroon. The letter was sent ahead of the U.N. Regional Office for Central Africa briefing to the Security Council, due to take place on…

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Men are seen in a prison in Puntland state, Somalia, on December 14, 2016. Broadcast reporter Ali Adan Mumin remains detained in Somalia even though a court ordered his release. (Reuters/Feisal Omar)

Somali journalist Ali Adan Mumin jailed despite court order for release

EDITOR’S NOTE: Immediately after publishing this article, CPJ learned that Ali Adan Mumin has been released from jail. The journalist was released on the condition that he could be summoned by police for questioning at any time, according to Somali Journalists Syndicate cofounder Abdalle Ahmed Mumin and Goobjoog Media Director Hassan Mohamud Mohamed.

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Nigerian journalist Jones Abiri, left, and Alagoa Morris, pictured in Abuja after Abiri's release from detention in 2018. A court on May 22, 2019 charged Abiri on three counts and ordered him detained. (Alagoa Morris)

Nigeria charges Weekly Source editor Jones Abiri under cybercrimes, terrorism acts

Berlin, May 22, 2019 –A federal court today charged Jones Abiri, the publisher and editor-in -chief of the Weekly Source, under Nigeria’s cybercrimes act, anti-sabotage act, and terrorism prevention act for crimes allegedly carried out in 2016, and ordered the journalist to be detained, according to his lawyer, Samuel Ogala, and charge documents seen by…

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The National Assembly is seen in Abuja, Nigeria, on August 7, 2018. Authorities recently announced strict new requirements for obtaining press credentials to cover the assembly. (Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)

New accreditation requirements restrict press access to Nigeria’s National Assembly

Berlin, May 21, 2019 — Authorities in Nigeria should withdraw new media accreditation requirements for accessing the National Assembly, the country’s legislature, and ensure that future regulations do not unduly limit freedom of the press and access to information, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Prison guards are seen at Somaliland's Hargeisa prison on March 29, 2011. Television reporter Abdirahman Keyse Mohamed was recently arrested by police in Somaliland and is being held without charge in a prison in Las Anod. (AP/Katharine Houreld)

Somaliland journalist injured during arrest, jailed without charge

Nairobi, May 17, 2019 — Authorities in the breakaway state of Somaliland should immediately release television reporter Abdirahman Keyse Mohamed, also known as Tungub, and investigate the police officer who fired a shot that injured the journalist during his arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Libreville, Gabon, is seen on January 16, 2017. The country's media regulator recently suspended two newspapers over defamation claims. (Reuters/Mike Hutchings)

Gabon media regulator suspends two newspapers over defamation claims

Goma, Congo, May 17, 2019 — Gabon’s media regulator should immediately lift its suspensions of the tri-weekly newspaper L’Aube and the weekly Echos du Nord, and give journalists the freedom to cover issues of public interest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A banner of Tanzanian President John Magufuli hangs on a wall around a tanzanite mine, in April 2018. CPJ and other organizations are calling on the Human Rights Council to address a crackdown on journalists, human rights defenders, and other groups in the country. (AFP/Joseph Lyimo)

Human Rights Council should address Tanzania crackdown

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 37 other non-governmental organizations today sent a letter to member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council, asking them to address the crackdown on human rights in Tanzania at the 41st session of the council.

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Ugandan pop star and opposition figure Bobi Wine appears for his bail application via a video link from prison, on a television screen in a court in Kampala, Uganda, on May 2, 2019. Uganda's media regulator suspended staff from 13 broadcast outlets for covering his arrest. (AP/Ronald Kabuubi)

Ugandan regulator suspends staff from 13 outlets that covered Bobi Wine

Addis Ababa, May 2, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Uganda’s media regulator to immediately rescind an order yesterday suspending staff from 13 radio and television stations in connection to their coverage of opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine.

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