CPJ welcomes conviction of death squad driver in murder of Gambian editor Deyda Hydara
Durban, November 30, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Thursday’s conviction in Germany of a member of former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh’s death squad for the 2004 murder of Gambian editor Deyda Hydara. “The German court’s conviction and sentencing to life imprisonment of death squad driver Bai Lowe is an important first step for the…
Burkina Faso conscripts 2 journalists critical of junta, another fears kidnapping
Dakar, November 22, 2023—Burkinabe authorities must revoke the military conscription of journalists Issaka Lingani and Yacouba Ladji Bama and ensure the safety of journalist Boureima Ouedraogo in the face of kidnap threats, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. In early November, the army ordered Lingani and Bama to report for military training and…
Senegalese journalist Pape Sané detained on false news accusations
Dakar, November 16, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Senegalese authorities to release Walfadjri press group journalist Pape Sané, who was arrested November 13 on false news accusations, and drop all legal proceedings against him. “Pape Sané’s arrest is just the latest in a series of attacks by authorities against the Walfadjri media group…
Togolese journalists Loic Lawson and Anani Sossou jailed following minister’s complaint
New York, November 15, 2023 – Togolese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalists Loic Lawson and Anani Sossou, and reform the country’s laws and regulations to ensure journalism is not criminalized, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, November 14, an investigating judge at a Lomé court charged Lawson, publication director of…
Ghanaian soldiers beat and arrest journalist Nicholas Morkah, wipe phone
Abuja, November 13, 2023—Ghanaian authorities must swiftly complete their investigation into the soldiers who attacked and detained journalist Nicholas Morkah last month and hold the perpetrators to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On October 19, six soldiers attacked and beat Morkah, a morning show host with the privately owned Akyemansa FM…
CPJ alarmed by ongoing detention of DRC journalist Stanis Bujakera
New York, November 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the Democratic Republic of Congo authorities’ insistence on keeping journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala behind bars and urges the approval of a second expert opinion on the evidence presented against him in the interest of fairness. On Tuesday, the Kinshasa/Gombe court rejected Bujakera’s third…
Two journalists assaulted by protestors in South Africa
A group of about seven unidentified people assaulted two journalists with local broadcaster Mpuma Kapa TV (MPKTV) around noon on October 30, while the reporters were covering protests about the alleged hijacking of government housing—where possession of the property is taken by those not on the waiting list—in the coastal city of Gqeberha in the…
Malian journalist Abdoul Niang charged with making false statements
Dakar, November 2, 2023 — Malian authorities must drop all legal proceedings against journalist Abdoul Niang and allow him to report the news freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Thursday. On October 19, police in Bamako, Mali’s capital, summoned Niang, director of the privately-owned Malian radio station Émergence FM and an online columnist,…
DRC journalist Blaise Mabala accused of insulting a provincial government official
Kinshasa, October 31, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately release and drop their criminal prosecution against journalists Blaise Mabala and Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On October 20, an officer with the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) arrested Mabala, radio coordinator with the privately owned Même Morale FM…
Faces of impunity across the world
CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index lists the top 12 countries where the murderers of journalists go free. But impunity knows no borders. The mosaic below shows the faces of slain journalists around the world. Beneath each journalist’s photo is the location of their death. Click the images for more details about these unsolved cases. (Photo grid by Geoff McGhee)