Committee to Protect Journalists - Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea indefinitely suspends radio program

2012-10-23T17:50:58Z

New York, October 23, 2012--Authorities in Equatorial Guinea indefinitely suspended a radio program on a government-controlled outlet during a broadcast on Friday that included criticism of the president of the Supreme Court, according to local journalists and news reports.

Renamed Obiang prize is a blow to UNESCO

2012-03-08T21:41:57Z

New York, March 8, 2012--A vote by a commission of UNESCO's executive board to rename the discredited Obiang prize is a blow to the credibility of the organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Meeting in Paris, the commission voted to change the name of the prize to "International UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea Prize" and for UNESCO to move ahead with the implementation.

Attacks on the Press: Development Trumps Freedom

2012-02-22T04:32:01Z

Many African leaders continue to offer a false choice between stability and press freedom. Taking a cue from China, a key investor and model, they stress social stability and development over openness and reform. By Mohamed Keita

Attacks on the Press in 2011: Equatorial Guinea

2012-02-21T05:28:00Z

News and information was tightly controlled in Equatorial Guinea, which CPJ identified as one of the world’s most censored nations. Nearly all news media were owned and run by the government or its allies. One independently owned newspaper circulated in the country, but had to practice self-censorship; no independent broadcasters operated domestically. Even in this rigid environment, authorities fearful of the implications of Arab unrest censored news coverage of the protests. President Teodoro Obiang continued efforts to alter his international image, assuming presidency of the African Union and reviving his effort to establish an “Obiang Prize” in life sciences under the auspices of UNESCO. For the second time, UNESCO suspended consideration of the prize after a global campaign by human rights and freedom of expression groups. As he marked his 32 years in power, Obiang declared there were “no” human rights violations in his country. But his administration suspended a state radio presenter for a mere reference to a “leader of the Libyan revolution.” Authorities also urged the owners of television sets in public places not to show international satellite channels covering the Arab unrest, according to local journalists. Security agents detained a German TV crew and deleted footage of an interview with an opposition leader and pictures of children playing in slums.

Equatorial Guinea deletes German TV crew's footage

2011-06-17T19:18:56Z

New York, June 17, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention of a German television crew and the destruction of their footage by authorities in Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea suspends journalist over Libya mention

2011-03-02T22:00:04Z

New York, March 2, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Equatorial Guinea's censorship of coverage of events in North Africa, the Middle East, and Ivory Coast. A state radio presenter's reference to Libya during a live radio program on Friday led censors to abruptly force the journalist off the air and order an indefinite suspension from the country's tightly monitored national airwaves, according to local journalists and news reports.

CPJ, partner groups urge UNESCO to pull Obiang prize

2010-08-12T13:19:54Z

New York, August 12, 2010--The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization should cancel the Obiang prize at its next session in October 2010, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 95 partner groups said in a letter to UNESCO Executive Board members today.

Press freedom groups ask UNESCO to reject Obiang money

2010-05-20T16:10:16Z

Dear Director-General Bokova: We, the undersigned freedom of expression organizations, join with the Committee to Protect Journalists to express our grave concern regarding the $3 million donation by Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang for the administration of an international prize in life sciences. As a leading institution that advocates “empowering people through the free flow of ideas and by access to information and knowledge,” UNESCO should not accept funds from one of Africa’s worst violators of press freedom.

Attacks on the Press 2009: Africa Developments

2010-02-16T05:02:50Z

Equatorial Guinea journalist under arrest

2009-06-18T20:18:16Z

New York, June 18, 2009--A journalist in Equatorial Guinea, facing a criminal libel charge over a flawed story, was imprisoned on Wednesday, according to local journalists.

Attacks on the Press 2006: Africa Analysis

2007-02-05T16:57:00Z

African Union fails to defend press freedom
By Julia Crawford

When African heads of state gathered in July in the Gambia's sleepy seaside capital, Banjul, their host had just shut down a leading private newspaper, jailed journalists, and halted a planned freedom of expression forum on the fringes of the summit. At the summit, the African Union swore in judges for a future pan-African court of justice and human rights, but said nothing about human rights abuses in the Gambia or the lack of due process for its detainees. In a declaration marking the 25th anniversary of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, AU leaders vowed to rededicate themselves "to ensuring respect for human and peoples' rights" as a prerequisite to their common vision of "a united and prosperous Africa." The charter, binding on all AU members, includes freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. Yet the heads of state failed to comment on the Gambia's vicious repression of the independent press and its lackluster effort to solve the 2004 assassination of a leading editor.

Attacks on the Press 2006: Africa Snapshots

2007-02-05T16:46:58Z

Attacks & developments throughout the region

African leaders urged to defend press freedom

2006-06-30T16:00:00Z

June 30, 2006

H.E. Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Chairman of the African Union and President of the Republic of Congo
C/o the Embassy of the Republic of Congo
4891 Colorado Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20011

Fax: (202) 726-1860

Your Excellency,

The Committee to Protect Journalists urges you as chairman of the African Union to discuss with your fellow heads of state and government at your summit in the Gambian capital, Banjul, from July 1, the need to defend press freedom on the continent.

The world's most censored countries

2006-05-06T01:45:08Z

Could you pick out Equatorial Guinea on the world map? Or Turkmenistan, or Eritrea? Probably not at the first attempt. These countries are usually below the radar of the international media, and the autocrats who run them like it that way. It helps them crush press freedoms and keep their population in the dark. That is why the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based press freedom group, has drawn up a league table of the world's 10 most censored countries. We hope that the list, issued on World Press Freedom Day, will shine a light into the dark corners of the world where governments and their political cronies decide what people will read, see, and hear.

CPJ Update

2006-05-03T00:17:03Z

CPJ Update
May 22, 2006
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

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