Africa
2021
Guinea-Bissau coast guard officer assaults radio journalist Emerson Gomes
On July 21, 2021, a Guinea-Bissau Coast Guard officer assaulted and detained Emerson Gomes, a presenter and trainee journalist at Djan-Djan Community Radio in Bubaque, a town in the country’s Bijagos archipelago, accusing the outlet of spreading false news, according to a media report and Gomes, who spoke to CPJ by phone. Gomes said he…
Zimbabwe journalist Elizabeth Mashiri detained, charged for filming police clash with vendors
Lusaka, Zambia, August 30, 2021—Zimbabwean authorities must drop all charges against journalist Elizabeth Mashiri, stop arbitrarily arresting journalists, and allow them to work without interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On August 17, police in Gweru, the capital of Midlands Province, arrested Mashiri, an assistant editor and Midlands bureau chief for privately owned…
When Burundian journalist Jean Bigirimana disappeared, his colleagues tried to solve the case
Five years ago, Abbas Mbazumutima led a team of journalists from the independent Burundian news outlet Iwacu in investigating a story no reporter should ever have to write — about the July 22, 2016 disappearance of their colleague, reporter Jean Bigirimana, who went missing shortly after receiving a call from an intelligence source. The Iwacu…
CPJ joins call urging Zambia to maintain internet access during elections
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 41 other human rights, free expression, and technology organizations in a letter to Zambian President Edgar Lungu, calling on him to ensure that the internet and digital communications remain uninterrupted throughout Zambia’s August 12 general election period. In the letter, dated August 5, members of the #KeepItOn coalition against…
Zambian radio station transmitter damaged in arson attack
In the early hours of June 24, 2021, an unknown group of people tried to set fire to the Kalungwishi Radio Station in the Chienge district of Zambia’s northern Luapula Province, damaging transmission cables, a mixer, and air conditioning equipment, according to a news report quoting the local chapter of the regional press freedom group…
Zambian opposition supporters assault reporter from state media
Lusaka, Zambia, July 30, 2021 — Zambian authorities must thoroughly and quickly investigate the brutal attack by supporters of opposition party United Party for National Development (UPND) on Victor Mwila, a reporter with the state-owned Zambia News and Information Services, and ensure that those responsible are held to full account, the Committee to Protect Journalists…
Two Nigerian journalists respond to the government’s ongoing Twitter ban
More than a month after Nigeria’s federal government suspended access to Twitter, CPJ’s review of local accounts found at least some run by media outlets have gone silent. Twitter was inaccessible when CPJ tried to visit it from Nigeria in mid-July. However, after the ban, Nigerian outlet The Guardian reported a huge spike in searches…
Angolan police detain Wizi-Kongo editor Jeremias Kaboco
On July 1, 2021, Angolan police detained Jeremias Kaboco, editor of privately owned news website Wizi-Kongo, in the northern city of Uige while he was covering a protest by teachers demanding unpaid wages, according to reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via a messaging app call. Kaboco told CPJ the officers forced him…
Ghana politician calls for journalist Erastus Asare Donkor to be beaten over protest coverage
Abuja, July 23, 2021 – Ghanaian authorities should ensure the safety of journalist Erastus Asare Donkor and hold politician Kennedy Ohene Agyapong to account for instigating attacks against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. In an appearance on the Net 2 TV broadcaster on July 9, Agyapong, a member of Ghana’s parliament with…
South Sudanese journalist Alfred Angasi detained without charge since July 5
Nairobi, July 23, 2021 — South Sudanese authorities should immediately release journalist Alfred Angasi and cease arbitrarily detaining members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 5, intelligence officials in Juba, the capital, arrested Angasi, a radio presenter at the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC), according to his sister…