Africa

  
Alerts
Burkina Faso's presidential palace is seen in Ouagadougou on March 20, 2019. The president and Constitutional Council have the power to prevent the enactment of revisions of the country's penal code that could result in jail time for reporters. (AFP/Olympia de Maismont)

Burkina Faso parliament passes legal revisions criminalizing false news, reporting on terrorism

New York, July 3, 2019 — Burkina Faso authorities should prevent the enactment of revisions of the penal code that criminalize false news and reporting on terrorism or security operations, and ensure laws do not permit jail time for reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Features & Analysis
People take pictures with cells phones during the formal announcement of election results in Pretoria on May 11. Journalists covering the election had to contend with online harassment, doxxing, and threats. (AFP/Phill Magakoe)

Discredited, threatened, attacked: challenges of covering South Africa’s election in the digital age

In the lead up to South Africa’s elections in May, the Electoral Commission of South Africa accredited CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal as an international observer, monitoring press freedom. Quintal found that unlike 1994–when she covered the violence of the country’s first democratic elections–journalists in 2019 cited online harassment and threats as the biggest…

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Statements
The Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria, is seen on May 8, 2018. Journalist Jones Abiri is set to attend a hearing at the high court in Abuja on cybercrime, anti-sabotage, and terrorism charges. (Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye)

CPJ calls for charges to be dropped against Nigerian journalist Jones Abiri

New York, June 27, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Nigerian authorities to release journalist Jones Abiri and drop cybercrime, anti-sabotage, and terrorism charges against him.

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Statements
A newspaper stand is seen in Mwanza, Tanzania, on September 19, 2015. Tanzania is currently considering legal amendments that could negatively affect press freedom. (AFP/Daniel Hayduk)

CPJ urges Tanzania lawmakers to revise proposed legislative amendments

Nairobi, June 21, 2019 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Tanzanian lawmakers to revise a set of proposed legislative amendments, some of which would pose undue restrictions on freedom of expression.

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Alerts
Cameroonian police officers are seen on October 3, 2018. Police recently arrested journalist Paul Chouta on criminal defamation and false news charges. (AFP/Marco Longari)

Cameroonian journalist detained on criminal defamation and false news charges

Abidjan, June 20, 2019 — Cameroonian authorities should immediately release journalist Paul Chouta and drop criminal defamation and false news charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
Police officers are seen in Hargeysa, Somaliland, on May 18, 2015. Police recently shut down two TV stations in the breakaway region. (Reuters/Feisal Omar)

Authorities in Somaliland shut down 2 TV stations for ‘threatening national security’

Nairobi, June 19, 2019 — Authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland should immediately lift an indefinite ban on two privately owned television stations, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
Central African Republic gendarmes and police officers are seen on January 2, 2016, in Bangui. Police in Bangui allegedly assaulted two French reporters from AFP recently. (AFP/Issouf Sanogo)

Police arrest, assault 2 AFP journalists in Central African Republic

Goma, Congo, June 19, 2019 — Authorities in the Central African Republic should investigate police who allegedly assaulted two French reporters and ensure that journalists can work freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Alerts
The Uganda High Court is in Kampala on May 14, 2018. CPJ today called for Ugandan authorities to intervene and end the criminal case against editor Pidson Kareire. (AFP/Isaac Kasamani)

Ugandan editor charged with criminal libel and ‘offensive communication’

Nairobi, June 14, 2019 — Authorities in Uganda should end the criminal proceedings against Pidson Kareire, managing editor of privately owned news website The Drone Media, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Features & Analysis
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, right, stands with and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 16, 2018. CPJ has called for the UN to continue to scrutinize Eritrea's human rights situation. (Reuters/Tiksa Negeri)

CPJ joins call for UN to continue scrutinizing human rights situation in Eritrea

The Committee to Protect Journalists and 29 other civil society organizations today sent a letter to members of the United Nations Human Rights Council urging them to continue to scrutinize the human rights situation in Eritrea. The letter was sent ahead of the 41st session of the Human Rights Council, which will take place in…

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Alerts
Demonstrators are seen in Monrovia, Liberia, on June 7, 2019. Amid the protests, social media services were disrupted throughout Liberia. (AFP/Carielle Doe)

CPJ calls on Liberian authorities to ensure access to internet and social media services

Abidjan, June 7, 2019–Starting this morning, social media services including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp were disrupted throughout Liberia, according to data from the internet advocacy group NetBlocks and local journalists who spoke with the Committee to Protect Journalists. NetBlocks also reported disruptions to the Associated Press website and Google’s Gmail and News services…

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