Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law poses free speech fears for journalists
Kuchu Times was founded eight years ago to give voice to Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community. Now, a new anti-homosexuality law is threatening this mission at a time when LGBTQ+ Ugandans are facing beatings and evictions. “People will tell us their stories and ask us not to put them out there, not until it is safer,” Kuchu…
‘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,…
CPJ, 14 organizations call on Kenyan authorities to expedite investigations into killing of journalist Arshad Sharif
CPJ and 14 human rights organizations and press associations issued a joint statement on Tuesday, May 2, calling on Kenyan authorities to expedite investigations into the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif and to ensure accountability in a transparent judicial process. In October 2022, Kenyan police said an officer fatally shot Sharif in Kajiado County…
CPJ, 47 rights organizations call on Ethiopia to end internet shutdowns
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 47 human rights organizations in an April 27 letter calling on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to ensure unfettered internet and digital communications access. The letter expressed alarm at the weaponization of internet shutdowns in the country, highlighting several recent disruptions, including on April 3 when authorities blocked access…
‘I am dying every day:’ Wife of killed Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif calls for justice
Justice remains elusive six months after the killing of prominent Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on October 23, 2022. Kenyan authorities claimed Sharif was shot dead by Kenyan police in an incident that shocked Pakistan’s media community and raised questions about whether his death was connected to his work. “This was a targeted killing,”…
CPJ reiterates call for Rwanda to investigate John Williams Ntwali’s death
Nairobi, March 15, 2023—The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined 85 other organizations in reiterating calls for the Rwandan government to allow an independent, impartial investigation into the death of investigative journalist John Williams Ntwali. Authorities said that Ntwali died on January 18 in a road accident in the Rwandan capital Kigali, but CPJ and other…
CPJ joins call for Nigeria to maintain internet, social media access during 2023 elections
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined an open letter by the KeepItOn coalition of press freedom and human rights groups on February 16, 2023, calling on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and other officials to “ensure that the internet, social media platforms, and all other communication channels remain free, open, secure, inclusive, and accessible” during the…
‘Like going to the war front’: Nigerian journalists offer tips for covering 2023 elections
In the early hours of February 1, unknown gunmen set fire to an office of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission and a police station in the country’s southeastern Anambra state. Days earlier, gunmen had attacked and killed soldiers and policemen at checkpoints along a road that connects nearby Enugu and Ebonyi states. The incidents underscored…
CPJ joins demand for investigation into death of Rwandan journalist John Williams Ntwali
CPJ on Tuesday joined about 100 other human rights and press freedom organizations in a joint statement calling on the Rwandan government to ensure an “independent, impartial, and effective investigation” into the death of journalist John Williams Ntwali. Authorities said that Ntwali died on January 18 in a road accident in Kigali. However, the organizations…