Africa

New York, May 7, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed great concern for the safety of French journalist Olivier Dubois, and called on any party holding him in custody to release him immediately and without harm. “French journalist Olivier Dubois must be released immediately and unharmed, and French and Malian authorities should…

The murder of Spanish reporters David Beriain and Roberto Fraile by unidentified attackers last week in eastern Burkina Faso was a tragic example of the dangerous working conditions for  journalists in the country, where the government has struggled to contain a rise in militant activity in recent years.   Beriain and Fraile were kidnapped along with Rory Young, an Irish conservation worker, from an anti-poaching convoy…

New York, May 5, 2021 — In response to news reports that French journalist Olivier Dubois has been kidnapped while reporting in central Mali, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are extremely concerned for the safety of journalist Olivier Dubois and urge Malian and French authorities to thoroughly investigate his disappearance,”…

Oratile Dikologang was naked when police officers pulled black plastic over his head during his detention in April 2020. It was difficult to breathe, but the interrogation continued, he told CPJ in a recent phone interview. “What are your sources, where do you get information,” he recalled them asking repeatedly. “It was the most painful…

Police in Botswana detained Oratile Dikologang, co-founder and digital editor of the local, privately owned website Botswana People’s Daily News, on April 9, 2020, and charged him over Facebook posts about COVID-19 and local politics that he denies publishing, according to CPJ’s review of a copy of a charge sheet, Dikologang, and local media reports….

Lusaka, Zambia, May 4, 2021 – Zambian authorities must thoroughly investigate the recent attack on two reporters and ensure that the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 1, supporters of two factions of the ruling Patriotic Front political party violently clashed at the party’s headquarters in…

By CPJ Africa and Asia Program Staff Even a brief shutdown of the internet impedes the press from doing its job. But some disruptions last for months, severely undermining safety and access to information, CPJ has found. Recently, authorities have imposed such measures in Myanmar and Ethiopia amid serious crises. India leads the world in internet…

New York, April 30, 2021 – Angolan authorities should drop the criminal defamation and insult charges against editor Francisco Rasgado and reform the country’s laws to decriminalize journalism, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 23, police officers arrested Rasgado, the founder and director of the privately owned newspaper Chela Press, at his…

April 29, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed alarm at recent actions by Somali security forces who detained and beat journalists and raided a private news outlet, and called on regional and federal authorities to ensure that members of the media can do their jobs without fearing for their safety. Over the last…

Abuja, April 28, 2021 – Nigerian authorities should thoroughly investigate the attack on journalist Frederick Olatunde Odimayo and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On April 16, in Lokoja, the capital of the northwestern state of Kogi, five men attacked Odimayo, a freelance reporter and editor with the privately…