NGOs call for protection of journalists in Cameroon ahead of country’s UN human rights review
New York, July 17, 2023—Cameroonian journalists are facing lethal threats and false legal charges as they pursue reporting in the midst of Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, according to a new report on press freedom and freedom of expression submitted to the United Nations by Freedom House, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the American Bar…
Senegalese broadcaster Walf TV suspended for 1 month, threatened with permanent license revocation
On June 1, 2023, Senegalese Minister of Communication, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy Moussa Bocar Thiam ordered a 30-day suspension of Walf TV, the television broadcast service of the privately owned media group Wal Fadjri, over its coverage of ongoing countrywide protests. Authorities cut off Walf TV’s broadcast signal on June 1 and restored broadcasts on…
‘You better shut up’: A Ghana family’s relentless calls for justice
Kamilu Ibrahim Tahidu and his brothers gather every evening outside their family home in Ghana’s capital of Accra. They sit in a circle of plastic chairs and enjoy each others’ company. They pray together. And they never forget that one of them is missing. It’s been over four years since assassins came to their neighborhood,…
Ugandan journalists robbed, assaulted while covering election
On June 14, 2023, unidentified people assaulted or harassed at least four reporters covering local elections in the eastern Uganda district of Bukedea, according to a report by the privately owned broadcaster NTV Uganda, a statement by the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U) local press rights group, and three of those journalists, who spoke…
CPJ calls for Zimbabwe president to reject ‘Patriot Bill’ threatening critical journalism
Lusaka, July 3, 2023—Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa should not sign into law the overly broad Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill as it seriously threatens the rights to freedom of expression and media freedom in Zimbabwe, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On June 7, Zimbabwe’s upper chamber of parliament approved the bill,…
South Africa judge strikes down gag order against investigative outlet amaBhungane
New York, July 3, 2023—In response to a South African High Court’s Monday judgment striking down a gag order against the amaBhungane Center for Investigative Journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “Today’s judgment is a massive victory for media freedom in South Africa and an important vindication of a journalist’s ethical…
Congolese soldiers arrest, beat 3 journalists covering land dispute
Kinshasa, June 30, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must hold accountable the soldiers who arrested and beat journalists Jeef Ngoyi, Marie-Louise Malou Mbela, and Jiresse Nkelani, and cease detaining journalists covering the news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, June 28, at least 12 soldiers from the Armed Forces…
CPJ calls for further investigation after Nigerian court finds police killed journalist Alex Ogbu
New York, June 29, 2023—In response to a court ruling that Nigerian police shot and killed journalist Alex Ogbu at a protest in 2020, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “The recent court ruling for the Nigerian Police Force to pay damages to the family of slain journalist Alex Ogbu is a…
Gambian party security guards attack 3 journalists for filming politician
On May 31, 2023, four security guards working for Gambia’s ruling National People’s Party grabbed, repeatedly punched, and poured water on Malick D. Cham, a presenter with the online broadcaster Jamano Media and Products, after the journalist tried to film an NPP politician and another man arguing at a mayor’s swearing-in ceremony in the capital…