Africa

  
An electoral worker prepares identity card and biometric verification readers, at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Kano, northern Nigeria, on February 14, 2019. CPJ joined a call for Nigeria to ensure that internet and social media services remain connected during the upcoming elections. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

CPJ joins call for Nigeria to ensure internet and social media services remain connected during elections

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 15 rights organizations and the #KeepItOn Coalition to call for Nigerian authorities to ensure that internet and social media services remain connected during upcoming elections, and safeguard internet speeds of websites and messaging applications. In early February, Nigeria’s federal government denied rumors of plans to shut down…

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The Independence Arch is pictured in Accra, Ghana. Authorities have failed to hold anyone to account in recent attacks on journalists. (CPJ/Jonathan Rozen)

Ghana won’t have press freedom without accountability

Three bullets, fired at close range by two assassins on a black and blue Boxer motorbike on January 16, 2019, killed investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, according to Sammy Darko, a lawyer working on Divela’s case. Darko told CPJ over the phone that bystanders saw it happen. Ghana’s media community, international rights groups (including CPJ),…

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FrontPageAfrica publisher Rodney Sieh, pictured on his release from prison in November 2013. Sieh says journalists in Liberia continue to face threats and harassment for their critical reporting. (AP/Mark Darrough)

Q&A: Rodney Sieh on how Liberia’s press is faring under Weah presidency

Rodney Sieh, editor-in-chief and publisher of Liberian investigative outlet FrontPageAfrica, knows first-hand the harassment and risks critical journalists in his country face. In 2013, CPJ documented how he was sentenced to prison over unpaid fines in a criminal defamation case.

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Protesters block the main route to Zimbabwe's capital Harare from Epworth township on January 14, 2019, after the government more than doubled the price of fuel. On January 15, CPJ joined more than 20 rights organizations and the #KeepItOn Coalition to call for authorities in Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media services. (AFP/Jekesai Njikizana)

CPJ joins call for Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media access

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 20 rights organizations and the #KeepItOn Coalition to call for authorities in Zimbabwe to restore internet and social media services, commit to maintaining internet access, and encourage accountability from telecommunication and internet service providers to respect human rights.

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This screenshot of South Africa's Daily Maverick shows an op-ed by CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal about her experience in Tanzania.

Angela Quintal recounts CPJ’s ordeal in Tanzania

Johannesburg, November 13, 2018–“We drove down a dirt road and entered the premises of what appeared to be a safe house, through a large gate. Several men in plain clothes stood in the front yard. At least one appeared to be armed with a rifle. Their animosity was palpable… We were ordered out of the…

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Tanzanian police stand guard outside a vote counting center at a school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on October 28, 2015. On August 16, 2018, CPJ joined a call for the UN Human Rights Council to address a crackdown on free expression and other rights in Tanzania. (AP Photo/Khalfan Said)

CPJ joins call for UN Human Rights Council to address crackdown in Tanzania

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 29 other civil society groups yesterday wrote to the member and observer states of the United Nations Human Rights Council urging them to address the deteriorating situation for human rights, including freedom of the press, in Tanzania during the upcoming 39th session of the council in September.

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Ethiopian photojournalist Aziza Mohamed, pictured in Nairobi in 2014 with her colleagues, from left, Endalkachew Tesfaye and Endale Teshi, who both now live in the U.S. and Habtamu Seyoum, who is still waiting for resettlement. (CPJ/Nicole Schilit)

Ethiopian photojournalist shares experiences of going into exile

For World Refugee Day, exiled Ethiopian photojournalist Aziza Mohamed spoke with CPJ Journalist Assistance Program Coordinator Nicole Schilit about her experience of being a refugee and eventually being resettled in the U.S. [This transcript of Aziza’s comments has been edited for length and clarity.]

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A demonstration calling for LGBT rights in Trinidad and Tobago on April 12. Journalists covering LGBTQ issues say they often face retaliation for their work. (Reuters/Andrea de Silva)

Covering LGBTQ issues brings risk of threats and retaliation for journalists and their sources

To mark the annual International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, CPJ spoke with journalists and news outlets based in Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, the U.S., Uganda, and Russia, about the challenges they face reporting on LGBTQ issues.

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A banner of Tanzanian President John Magufuli adorns a wall around the country's tanzanite mines. Magufuli's government has imposed a series of restrictions on rights, including freedom of expression. (AFP/Joseph Lyimo)

CPJ joins call for Tanzanian government to respect human rights

CPJ, along with 64 other non-governmental organizations, today wrote to Tanzanian President John Magufuli to express concern about a worrying decline in the respect of human rights, including freedom of expression.

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Cartoonist Ramón Nsé Esono Ebalé, pictured in court in February 2018. The journalist was acquitted and released from jail but authorities in Equatorial Guinea have not renewed his passport, which means Esono Ebalé cannot return to El Salvador. (AFP/Samuel Obiang)

CPJ joins call for Equatorial Guinea to renew cartoonist’s passport

CPJ, along with eight other human rights organizations, today urged the government of Equatorial Guinea to renew without further delay the passport of acclaimed cartoonist Ramón Nsé Esono Ebalé.

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