Africa

  
Moshoeshoe Monare SABC South Africa

SABC editor-in-chief called for security vetting and polygraph before South Africa election

Lusaka, May 6, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday expressed alarm that South Africa’s spy agency wants to subject Moshoeshoe Monare, the editor-in-chief of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), to additional security vetting and an invasive lie-detector test ahead of the country’s crucial May 29 general election. A senior official at…

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On April 25, a group of unidentified men firebombed Class Media Group's office, in the Labone district of Ghana’s capital Accra, and fled the scene. (Screenshot My C TV/YouTube)

Private media outlet Class Media Group firebombed in Ghana

Abuja, May 6, 2024—Authorities in Ghana should swiftly and comprehensively conclude their investigation of the April 25 firebomb attack on Class Media Group’s office, hold those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists at the media outlet can work safely, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday. On April 25, four unidentified men on…

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In a video uploaded November 2022, journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi, who is appealing a two-year prison sentence, talks about the popularity of his online show, Muxiyediin Show. (Screenshot: nimcaan ilkacase/YouTube)

Ethiopian journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi sentenced to 2 years in prison 

Nairobi, May 3, 2024— The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ethiopian authorities not to contest the appeal of journalist Muhiyadin Mohamed Abdullahi’s conviction on hate speech and false news charges. On Thursday, May 2, Muhiyadin—who has been detained since his February 13 arrest—was sentenced to two years in prison by the Fafen Zone High Court in Jigjiga,…

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Burkina Faso's interim President Ibrahim Traoré, shown here attending a Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 28, 2023, has led the country since seizing power during a September 2022 coup. Burkinabe authorities have suspended several international media outlets for reporting on military misconduct allegations. (Photo: Donat Sorokin/TASS)

Burkina Faso’s media regulator suspends BBC Africa and Voice of America

Dakar, 26 April 2024– The Burkinabe authorities should immediately lift the suspension of BBC Africa and Voice of America, and reverse the directive seeking to control local outlets’ coverage, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Friday. On Thursday, the Superior Council of Communication (CSC), Burkina Faso’s media regulator, suspended the British government-funded BBC Afrique…

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Authorities arrested journalist Blaise Mabala and accused him of insulting a provincial government official during his October 18, 2023, radio program. (Photo credit: Blaise Mabala)

Prosecutor requests 15-month sentence for jailed DRC journalist Blaise Mabala

Kinshasa, April 22, 2024— Ahead of a court decision expected on Saturday in the prosecution of radio journalist Blaise Mabala, the Committee to Protect Journalist is alarmed that prosecutors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have asked that he be sentenced to 15 months in prison and urges authorities to stop criminalizing the work…

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Headshots of KBN TV's Innocent Phiri (left) and Millennium TV's Rodgers Mwiimba

Zambian police detain 2 journalists, make them delete interviews with opposition

Lusaka, April 22, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Monday called on Zambian authorities to thoroughly investigate a police assault on journalist Rodgers Mwiimba and his two-hour detention, alongside a second journalist, Innocent Phiri. On April 13, police officers arrested the two television journalists at Matanda Grounds, a public space in the town of Kafue,…

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Somali authorities investigate media rights group, freeze its accounts

Kampala Uganda, April 19, 2024—Somali authorities should drop all criminal investigations against the Somali Journalists Syndicate and desist from weaponizing the judicial system to obstruct the work of the media rights organization, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Friday. Two commercial banks, Premier Bank and Dahabshil Bank International told the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS)…

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On April 16, A Togolese court sentenced Thomas Dietrich, a freelance reporter, to a six-month suspended prison sentence for illegal entry and banned him from Togolese territory. (Screenshot: Thomas Dietrich/X)

Togo expels French journalist Thomas Dietrich, suspends foreign accreditations

Dakar, April 17, 2024—Togolese authorities must identify and hold accountable the law enforcement agents responsible for arresting and assaulting French journalist Thomas Dietrich and ensure both foreign and local journalists are able to freely report on political news, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a court in Togo’s capital Lomé sentenced…

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Television journalist Yasin Limu at Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, before the April 7 Super League of Malawi match, when Wanderers FC supporters hit him in the face with his tripod.

Malawi football fans assault TV reporter Yasin Limu

Lusaka, April 17, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday called on Malawian authorities to credibly investigate the assault on TV reporter Yasin Limu by Mighty Mukuru Wanderers Football Club supporters and urged the sport’s governing bodies to take concrete steps to deter future attacks against journalists. On April 7, three supporters of the club,…

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Two scenes from from Nigerian journalist Fisayo Soyombo's investigation from "Undercover as a Smuggler," one on the left showing two men on a motorbike in the bush, and one on the right showing a map of Benin and Nigeria.

Police investigate Nigeria’s Foundation for Investigative Journalism after corruption coverage

Abuja, April 16, 2024—Nigerian authorities should immediately drop their investigation into the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and its founder, the award-winning undercover reporter, Fisayo Soyombo, and stop intimidating the chairperson of FIJ’s board of trustees, Bukky Shonibare, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On February 21, Soyombo published an investigation detailing how he…

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