DRC journalist Jean Christian Bafwa Kabaseke receives death threat over coverage of militant group
Kinshasa, August 8, 2022 – Congolese authorities should take seriously the threats against journalist Jean Christian Bafwa Kabaseke and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday On August 4, a person identifying himself as a “general” with the Patriotic Force and Integrationist of Congo (FPIC) armed group sent a message to Bafwa,…
Journalists face growing hostility as Ethiopia’s civil war persists
Ethiopia’s 21-month-old civil war is accelerating the deterioration of press freedom in the Horn of Africa nation. The conflict between the federal government and the rebel forces led by the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) has prompted a media crackdown that extinguished the glimmer of hope sparked by the initial reforms of Prime Minister Abiy…
Ivory Coast journalist Noël Konan jailed overnight, fined over a tweet
On July 18, 2022, a court in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, convicted investigative reporter Noël Kouadio Konan of defamation under Article 89 of the country’s press law and fined him three million CFA francs (US$4,600) over a June 29 tweet, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging…
Angolan journalists harassed while covering election rallies
New York, July 21, 2022 — Angolan authorities should thoroughly investigate all instances of the harassment of journalists ahead of the country’s August 24 elections, and ensure that members of the press can cover the campaign safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. Since July 1, at least three journalists have been harassed or…
DRC journalist Joseph Kazadi remains behind bars after release of US reporter Nicolas Niarchos
New York, July 20, 2022 – Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should immediately release journalist Joseph Kazadi Kamuanga and ensure the press can work without fear of arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On July 13, officers with the National Intelligence Agency (ANR) arrested U.S. freelance journalist Nicolas Niarchos and…
‘Permanent fear’: Togolese journalists on their lives 1 year after Pegasus Project revelations
One year after news broke about a list of over 50,000 phone numbers allegedly selected for surveillance with Pegasus spyware, journalists around the world continue to live and work with the fear that their phones can be used to track their conversations and penetrate all the personal and professional data stored on their devices. The…
DRC journalist Chilassy Bofumbo acquitted; two other reporters remain behind bars
Kinshasa, July 5, 2022 — A judge at the High Court in Mbandaka, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s western Équateur province, on Tuesday acquitted and released journalist Chilassy Bofumbo, who had been jailed since he covered a November 2021 protest, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ by messaging app…
CPJ Insider: July 2022 edition
CPJ opens the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center in New York In early June, CPJ held its grand opening of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center, the site of our global headquarters in New York. The new space will serve as a convening hub for…
Dom Phillips
British freelance journalist Dominic “Dom” Phillips went missing on June 5, 2022, during a reporting trip in the Brazilian Amazon with Indigenous issues expert Bruno Pereira and their remains were found 10 days later, with gunshot wounds. Phillips, 57, had reported for The Guardian, Financial Times, The Washington Post, and The New York Times newspapers,…
Guinean police detain, question journalist Mamadou Sagnane
Dakar, June 28, 2022 — Guinean authorities should drop any ongoing investigation into journalist Mamadou Sagnane and ensure that the press can work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On June 15, police in the north-central town of Dinguiraye summoned Sagnane, a reporter with the community broadcaster Dinguiraye Rural Radio, according to the…