Africa

  

Swaziland releases Bheki Makhubu after 15 months in jail

New York, June 30, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s decision by the Swaziland Supreme Court to release from prison Bheki Makhubu, the editor of The Nation, who has been in jail since March 2014 along with human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, after the crown prosecution said it would not defend an appeal against…

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RFI reporter assaulted in Chad, then expelled

Abuja, Nigeria, June 26, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Chadian authorities’ ejection this week of a French journalist. Laurent Correau, reporter for Radio France Internationale, was assaulted by police alongside an international human rights defender before being expelled, according to news reports.

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Burundi reporter says grenade thrown at home

New York, June 25, 2015 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about growing violence against journalists in Burundi and calls on the authorities to investigate all attacks and protect media workers.  

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Rwandan journalist arrested in Burundi, charged with spying

New York, June 12, 2015–A Rwandan journalist who was arrested in Burundi on Monday has been charged with espionage, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Burundian authorities to release the journalist and drop the charge immediately.

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Police help protect protest organizers from a mob attack in the western Kenyan town of Kitale. (David Sirengo)

Journalists assaulted while covering protest in western Kenya

Nairobi, June 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an attack on Tuesday against four journalists covering a peaceful protest in western Kenya and calls on authorities to investigate the attacks and hold the assailants to account.

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CPJ welcomes arrest of suspect behind Somali kidnapping

New York, June 12, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the arrest in Canada on Thursday of Ali Omar Ader, a Somali allegedly involved in the 2008 kidnapping of journalists Amanda Lindhout, Nigel Brennan, and Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, a Somali fixer and photojournalist. Ali, who appeared briefly in court in Ottawa today, is alleged to…

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At least four journalists attacked in Nigeria in one week

Abuja, Nigeria, June 5, 2015–At least four journalists have been attacked in Nigeria, and one forced to flee his state, in the past week, according to news reports and one of the journalists. The attacks occurred in the same week that the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote an open letter to new President Muhammadu Buhari,…

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CPJ urges Nigerian president to prioritize press freedom

President Buhari: The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to congratulate you on your recent victory in Nigeria’s presidential election. As Nigeria prepares to enter a new chapter in its history, we urge you and your administration to take steps to ensure that journalists are able to work freely and openly in the country without fear of reprisal of any form.

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CPJ welcomes Facebook move to add PGP encryption features

San Francisco, June 1, 2015–Facebook today announced that it would offer users a field to post PGP encryption keys on their profiles, and that it will use the encryption standard to protect the contents of notification emails. The improvements were announced on the social network’s security blog and will gradually be rolled out to all…

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Rafael Marques de Morais outside a Luanda court on May 25. Criminal defamation charges have been reinstated against the investigative journalist just days after they were dropped. (AFP/Estelle Maussion)

Angola turns tables on Marques de Morais, reinstates criminal defamation charges

Angolan journalist Rafael Marques de Morais is once again facing the threat of prison after the public prosecutor reinstated charges of criminal defamation on Monday. Seven Angolan generals have been pursuing criminal defamation charges against the investigative journalist over the publication of his 2011 book Blood Diamonds: Torture and Corruption in Angola, in which he…

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