Africa
2012
Who knew? Senegalese arrest, prosecution can be swift
Last week, a judge in Senegal convicted a man of assaulting three journalists outside their newspaper’s office in the capital Dakar last month. The attack was not related to journalism, but the quick arrest and prosecution of the perpetrator serves as an instructive contrast between the handling of an ordinary crime and the handling of…
A bad weekend for Malawian journalists
No media outlet critical of President Bingu Wa Mutharika or the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was spared by the government this past weekend — whether print, broadcast, or online. The broadside included a public campaign to discredit the media as well as threats of fines and arrests of critical journalists.
CPJ urges Liberia to protect threatened journalist
Dear President Johnson Sirleaf: The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by threats made against Liberian journalist Mae Azango, who has been in hiding since last week after she reported on the practice of female genital mutilation. We urge you, Madam President, as Africa’s first and only female head of state and a champion of women’s rights, to direct the Liberian authorities to ensure her safety and fully investigate the threats made against her.
Angolan police raid weekly’s office, seize computers
New York, March 12, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s Angolan police raid at the independent weekly Folha 8, which was conducted in connection with a politicized investigation into the publication of a satirical photo montage. Officers confiscated all of Folha 8’s computers, effectively crippling the operations of one of the country’s two remaining…
The hazards of reporting all sides of the Lamu port story
Freelance photographer Abdalla Bargash had accompanied Kenya’s permanent secretary for transport, Cyrus Njiru, to cover a meeting with Lamu community members over the newly constructed Lamu port. The Kililana Farmers’ Association are concerned that the major construction on the once-sleepy island of Lamu off Kenya’s coast could encroach on their farmland.
Renamed Obiang prize is a blow to UNESCO
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…
Guinean journalist assaulted by police, no arrests made
New York, March 8, 2012–Guinean authorities must investigate and bring appropriate charges against police officers who assaulted a journalist at the Central Bank of Guinea, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Reporter Kounkou Mara suffered head and other injuries in the attack. Mara, a reporter for the privately owned Le Lynx, was denied entry…
Togolese police assault photojournalist
New York, March 7, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Togo to investigate a report that police assaulted a photojournalist on Friday after he took photos of officers seizing a motorcycle during a protest, according to media reports and local journalists.Koffi Djidonou Frédéric Attipou, a photojournalist with the weekly Le Canard Indépendant and the…
Puntland radio station closed, director held
New York, March 5, 2012–Authorities in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia shut down an independent radio broadcaster and arrested the station’s director over coverage of fighting between the government and Al-Shabaab militants, local journalists said.Around 10:20 p.m. Saturday, armed police arriving in two vehicles raided Codka Nabadda (Voice of Peace) in the port city of…