Africa
2007
In Nigerian capital, government demolishes broadcaster’s offices
New York, June 22, 2007—Nigeria’s leading independent broadcast network says it will take the government to court next week after authorities demolished three new station facilities in the capital, Abuja. African Independent Television (AIT) plans to sue for damages after the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a local government entity, last week bulldozed without warning three…
More Malian journalists jailed in high school essay crackdown
New York, June 21, 2007—Authorities in the capital Bamako have jailed five journalists in a week—the first arrests in the country since 2003—in the aftermath of an article about a high school essay assignment concerning an imaginary presidential sex scandal. Director Hameye Cissé of the private weekly Le Scorpion, and directors Birama Fall of Le…
Sudan: Journalists detained for nearly a week
New York, June 19, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ongoing detention of four Sudanese reporters, now held for nearly a week after attempting to report on deadly clashes between government forces and protestors in the country’s north. On June 13, Sudanese security forces detained reporters Ghadafi Abdul Muttalib of the daily Al-Ayyam, Abu…
Radio station in DRC shut down for broadcasting `bad French’
New York, June 15, 2007— Intelligence agents in the Democratic Republic of Congo shut down a privately owned radio station for “intoxicating the population” and “broadcasting in bad French.” It was the sixth Congolese broadcaster this year to be raided by security forces over its coverage. Radio Canal Satellite remained off the air today after…
In Mali, high school essay assignment lands journalist in prison
New York, June 15, 2007— A state prosecutor in Mali jailed a journalist for an article about a high school essay assignment in which the students were asked to write about a fictional sex scandal involving a president and his mistress. Seydina Oumar Diarra, an editor for the private daily newspaper Info-Matin, was questioned for…
Police in Congo arrest suspects in journalist’s murder
New York, June 14, 2007— Police arrested two suspects today in the killing of a broadcaster for United Nations-sponsored Radio Okapi in the eastern border town of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the station’s journalists told CPJ. CPJ is investigating to determine whether Serge Maheshe was killed because of his work as a…
In Rwanda, government strips new journal’s license after first edition
New York, June 12, 2007—Rwanda’s Information Minister revoked the publication license of a newspaper without a required court order three days after the paper’s first edition. The Weekly Post, a privately owned, English-language weekly, did not publish this week after Information Minister Laurent Nkusi revoked its authorization, according to a copy of an official letter…