Africa
2021
How China’s Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world
When a staffer at the independent media website Iwacu in the central African state of Burundi tried to visit the outlet online in late October, they received an error message instead. “Hum. Nous ne parvenons pas à trouver ce site;” the site could not be found – even though the local media regulator had promised…
Somali journalist Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled killed, two others injured, in bombing claimed by Al-Shabaab
New York, November 22, 2021 – Somali authorities should thoroughly investigate the suicide bombing that killed Abdiaziz Mohamud Guled and injured Sharmarke Mohamed Warsame and Abdukadir Abdullahi Nur in the capital of Mogadishu on November 20, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Abdiaziz, a well-known journalist also known as Abdiaziz Afrika who worked as…
CPJ honors journalists who risk their lives for press freedom
November 19, 2021—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) paid tribute Thursday to brave journalists from Guatemala, Mozambique, and Myanmar by presenting them with CPJ’s 2021 International Press Freedom Awards (IPFA) in New York. CPJ also honored Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai with its 2021 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award. “The journalists we are honoring…
Nigerian journalist Luka Binniyat detained over complaint by Kaduna state official
Abuja, Nigeria, November 15, 2021 – Nigerian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Luka Binniyat and drop all charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On November 4, police officers in Barnawa, a town in the northern state of Kaduna, arrested Binniyat, a freelance journalist who contributes to the U.S.-based news…
A Nigerian journalist took photos at the scene of killings his government denies. Then the harassment started
The photos showed blood-soaked concrete, a gashed open thigh, and an injured protester grimacing in pain on the ground. Taken by photojournalist Eti-Inyene Godwin Akpan on October 20, 2020, the images tell the story of Nigerian forces’ mass shooting of anti-police brutality protesters at Lagos’ Lekki Toll Gate, an incident the government continues to deny….
Rwandan journalist Théoneste Nsengimana detained since October 13
Nairobi, November 3, 2021 — Rwandan authorities should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Théoneste Nsengimana and cease harassing members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 13, security personnel arrested Nsengimana, who runs the YouTube channel Umubavu TV Online, according to tweets by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), a law-enforcement…
Ethiopian authorities detain two broadcast journalists
Nairobi, November 2, 2021 — Authorities in Ethiopia must immediately release Ahadu Radio and Television journalists Luwam Atikilti and Kibrom Worku and stop retaliating against members of the press for their coverage of the ongoing war in northern Ethiopia, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 22, at approximately 4:00 p.m., police in…
Nigerian police assault, detain journalists covering memorials marking Lekki Toll Gate killings
Abuja, Nigeria, November 1, 2021 — Authorities in Nigeria must prioritize the safety of journalists covering protests and hold officers responsible for abuses accountable, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 20, in three separate incidents, police officers arrested, harassed, or beat up three journalists–Sikiru Obarayese, Abisola Alawode, and Adefemi Akinsanya—as they covered…
Killers of journalists still get away with murder
No one has been held to account in 81% of journalist murders during the last 10 years, CPJ’s 2021 Global Impunity Index has found. By Jennifer Dunham/CPJ Deputy Editorial Director Published October 28, 2021 Somalia remains the world’s worst country for unsolved killings of journalists, according to CPJ’s annual Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries…
Mozambique police assault, repeatedly detain reporter Armando Nenane
On October 2, 2021, a group of police officers in Mozambique’s capital, Maputo, detained and assaulted Armando Nenane, a reporter with the privately owned Imprensa Paralegal news agency, which distributes content to other news outlets, while he covered a road accident, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview and posted…