
Mozambique press freedom crisis deepens

Recent attacks on three journalists, one of whom filmed his own fatal shooting, are symptomatic of the deterioration in conditions for Mozambican journalists ever since a disputed October 2024 election.
Blogger Albino Sibia was murdered by police on December 12, reporter Pedro Júnior was shot while covering Sibia’s funeral, and journalist Arlindo Chissale, went missing on January 7, and several reports, unconfirmed by CPJ, say that he is dead.
All three journalists commented on or reported the nationwide protests that followed the elections, during which security personnel were accused of using excessive force, resulting in the death of at least 300 people.
“Mozambican journalists have paid a heavy price reporting the news amid unrest and a post-election crisis,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo, from Nairobi. “Authorities should ensure accountability in the murder of Albino Sibia and the attack on Pedro Júnior, and credibly investigate Arlindo Chissale’s disappearance.”
The Mozambican chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has denounced the “growing violations of the rights to information and freedom of expression in Mozambique,” warning of “worsening restrictions on fundamental freedoms” including through “attacks on journalists.”
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China, Israel, Myanmar top jailers of journalists

China, Israel, and Myanmar emerged as the world’s three worst offenders in another record-setting year for journalists jailed because of their work, CPJ’s 2024 prison census has found. Belarus and Russia rounded out the top five, with CPJ documenting its second-highest number behind bars – 361 journalists incarcerated on December 1, 2024.
CPJ recorded unprecedented totals in several countries including China, Israel, Tunisia, and Azerbaijan. The primary drivers of journalist imprisonment in 2024 were ongoing authoritarian repression, war, and political or economic instability.
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* Flaws, inconsistencies in murder conviction of Senegal’s Bassène
* Tunisia uses cybercrime law to jail record number of journalists
* How CPJ helps jailed journalists
* Interactive map: Attacks on the Press
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Journalists Attacked
Myat Thu Tan


Omar Al Dirawi
Assulta Arrabaa, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Jimmy Jean
Moun Afe Bon, Haiti

Marckendy Natoux
Freelance,Voice of America, Haiti

Nazim Dashdan
Freelance, Syria

Jihan Belkin
Hawar News Agency (ANHA), Syria

Mohammed Balousha
Al Mashhad Media, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory