Mozambique press freedom crisis deepens

An image of journalist Albino Sibia's last words after being shot by police in Mozambique on December 12 (left); reporter Pedro Júnior is transported to the hospital after being shot while covering Sibia's December 14 funeral (center); and a selfie of journalist Arlindo Chissale, who went missing on January 7 and who may be dead, according to media reports. (Images, from left: screenshot via José Pimentel Teixeira/ YouTube; photo by Egilio Litsure, photo by Arlindo Chissale)
An image of journalist Albino Sibia’s last words after being shot by police in Mozambique on December 12 (left); reporter Pedro Júnior is transported to a hospital after being shot while covering Sibia’s December 14 funeral (center); and a selfie of journalist Arlindo Chissale, who went missing on January 7 and may be dead. (Images, from left: screenshot via José Pimentel Teixeira/ YouTube; photo by Egilio Litsure, photo by Arlindo Chissale)

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

A police officer (left) stands at the entrance of a prison in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in April 2021. Blindfolded Palestinian prisoners captured in Gaza are seen at a military detention facility in southern Israel in winter 2023 (center), and a view outside of Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, as relatives wait for the release of prisoners on January 4, 2024. (Photos, from left: AP/Mark Schiefelbein; Breaking the Silence via AP; AFP)
A prison entrance in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 2021 (left); Palestinian prisoners at a military detention facility in Israel in 2023 (center); and a view of Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2024. (Photos, from left: AP/Mark Schiefelbein; Breaking the Silence via AP; AFP)

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.

Related content
* 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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The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide.

We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

Journalists Attacked

Myat Thu Tan

MURDERED

Myat Thu Tan, a contributor to the local news website Western News and correspondent for several independent Myanmar news outlets, was shot and killed on January 31, 2024, while in military custody in Mrauk-U in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.

He was arrested on September 22, 2022, and held in pre-trial detention under a broad provision of the penal code that criminalizes incitement and the dissemination of false news for critical posts he made on his Facebook page. Myat Thu Tan had not been tried or convicted at the time of his death.

The journalist’s body was found buried in a bomb shelter, with the bodies of six other political detainees, and showed signs of torture.

Myanmar’s military junta has cracked down on journalists and media outlets since seizing power in a February 2021 coup.

In at least 8 out of 10 cases, the murderers of journalists go free. CPJ is waging a global campaign against impunity.

journalists killed in 2025 (motive confirmed)
imprisoned in 2023
missing globally