Overviewby Julia Crawford With the rule of law weak in many African countries, journalists regularly battle threats and harassment, not only from governments but also from rogue elements, such as militias. Repressive legislation is used in many countries to silence journalists who write about sensitive topics such as corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses. If…
Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has ruled this small, oil-rich central African country with an iron grip since 1979, when he overthrew his uncle in a coup and had him executed. With one of the worst human rights records on the continent, Equatorial Guinea is also one of the few African countries to have…
New York, February 17, 2005—Guinean security forces arrested the editor of one of the nation’s leading private weeklies at his home in the capital, Conakry, on Wednesday night. Authorities did not disclose charges against Mohamed Lamine Diallo, known by his pen name Benn Pépito, but local journalists believe the arrest could be linked to his…
FEBRUARY 16, 2005 Posted: February 23, 2005 Mohamed Lamine Diallo (also known as Benn Pépito), La Lance IMPRISONED, HARASSED Security forces arrested Diallo, known by his pen name Benn Pépito, at his home in the capital, Conakry. He was released on February 19, after three days in custody. Local journalists said they believe the arrest…
New York, May 5, 2004—Authorities in Guinea have blocked distribution of this week’s edition of the France-based news weekly Jeune Afrique L’Intelligent, which carries an exclusive interview with François Lonsény Fall, who just resigned as Guinea’s prime minister. The magazine’s May 2-8 edition was expected on the streets of the capital, Conakry, on Monday but…
Although the number of journalists in prison in Africa at the end of 2003 was lower than the previous year, African journalists still faced a multitude of difficulties, including government harassment and physical assaults. Many countries in Africa retain harsh press laws. In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, some…
Although the Kenya-based East African Standard, one of Africa’s oldest continuously published newspapers, marked its 100th anniversary in November, journalism remains a difficult profession on the continent, with adverse government policies and multifaceted economic woes still undermining the full development of African media.
Since President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo took control in a 1979 military coup, he and his ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea have governed one of Africa’s most repressive regimes. The country’s small press has been incessantly harassed and intimidated, while citizens have been fined for reading controversial publications. Obiang’s landslide re-election victory in December…
On June 30, almost three-quarters of voters cast ballots in parliamentary elections, which landed the ruling Unity and Progress Party 85 out of the National Assembly’s 114 seats and further strengthened President Lassana Conté’s long-standing hold on power. The country’s usually feisty opposition leaders refrained from blaming their losses on voter manipulation, but some journalists…
Following an alleged coup attempt in late 2001, President Kumba Yala and his minority Social Renewal Party (PRS) government struggled to demonstrate to the international community their willingness to implement democratic reforms and restore stability to this impoverished West African country. But Guinea-Bissau plunged further into crisis, with Yala continuing to interfere with the judiciary…