Africa

Dakar, September 20, 2023—Comoros authorities should not oppose the appeal of four journalists convicted for publicizing sexual assault allegations at the country’s public broadcaster, Comoros Radio and Television Office (ORTC), the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On August 31, four Comorian journalists appealed their August 24 convictions for defamation and insult related to the publicizing of sexual misconduct…

Cyberattackers used services of technology companies based in the U.S. and U.K. to target media sites from Somalia, Kosovo, and Turkmenistan, Qurium, a nonprofit hosting the sites, said Tuesday. Earlier this month, CPJ reported on how cyberattackers used a Nebraska company, RayoByte, in attempts to knock those same media sites offline, as well as at…

Durban, September 15, 2023—Cameroonian authorities should immediately lift an indefinite ban against The Post newspaper in the Southwest Region and stop any retaliatory action against the privately owned media outlet and its staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, September 12, Southwest regional governor Bernard Okalia Bilai banned The Post until further…

Nairobi, September 14, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday called on Somali authorities to credibly investigate an incident in which security personnel shot at Radio Baraawe and to create safe conditions for its journalists to return to work. On the evening of August 12, Radio Baraawe director Osman Aweys Bahar heard gunshots outside the…

Dakar, September 12, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Guinea’s media regulator to reverse its Monday suspension order banning the privately owned news website Dépêche Guinée and its publishing director, Abdoul Latif Diallo, from printing reports for one month. “Guinea’s High Authority for Communication should immediately lift its suspension of the entire Dépêche Guinée…

Kinshasa, September 11, 2023—Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately and unconditionally release journalist Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, return his devices, and stop arresting journalists in connection with their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Friday, September 8, around 10:30 p.m., two Congolese national police officers arrested Bujakera, a reporter for…

Durban, South Africa, September 8, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed Friday’s decision by Beninese authorities to release without charge Nigerian environmental journalist Damilola Ayeni after Benin police detained him incommunicado for nine days on “suspicion of participation in terrorist activities.” “We are relieved that Beninese authorities have finally freed investigative journalist Damilola Ayeni, who…

Abuja, September 7, 2023– Authorities in Benin must immediately and unconditionally release Nigerian journalist Damilola Ayeni, drop all charges against him, and allow him to work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On August 31, police officers in Benin’s north western Pendjari National Park arrested and detained Ayeni, an editor with the privately…

The cyberattack against the Somali Journalists Syndicate could not have come at a worse time. A distributed denial-of-service attack, known by its acronym DDoS, flooded the local press freedom group’s website with traffic in early August and knocked it offline. Days later, authorities arrested SJS staff member and Kaab TV editor Mohamed Ibrahim Osman Bulbul…

Nairobi, September 6, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday expressed deep concern about the arrest of three journalists only weeks after Ethiopia declared a state of emergency and called on authorities to promptly release all members of the press detained for their work. Abay Zewdu, chief editor of the YouTube-based broadcaster Amara Media Center…