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Articles - Central and Eastern Africa

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Sudan

Clashes with South Sudan stoke crackdown on dissent

In the wake of recent fighting with South Sudan, IFEX spells out five key ways that Sudan has stepped up its crackdown on critics.

Ethiopia

Journalist could face death penalty at Friday verdict

A verdict in the trial of Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega and other activists accused of inciting terrorism is expected on Friday, 11 May, report PEN American Center and other IFEX members, whom Nega has worked with. If convicted, Nega could face the death penalty.

Sudan

Security services find new way of censoring critics

The Sudanese authorities have resorted to bankrupting the media as a new way of silencing dissent, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).

Somalia

Seven journalists among those seriously injured in suicide bombing

At least four people were killed and scores were wounded, including seven journalists, when a bomb exploded at Somalia's national theatre at a ceremony to mark the one-year anniversary of Somali National Television, report ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Somalia

IFEX members call for UN intervention after another journalist killed

So far this year, a journalist has been killed each month in Somalia. And with one of the worst impunity records worldwide, it is likely the murderers will walk free, say the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members, which are calling for urgent UN intervention.

Ethiopia

More journalists get jail time on anti-terrorism charges

In another sign of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's worsening repression, a U.S.-based journalist was sentenced to life in prison on anti-terrorism charges, while two other journalists were given heavy prison sentences, report the Ethiopian Free press Journalists' Association (EFJA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and other IFEX members.

Somalia

Journalist's murder highlights country's notoriety as most dangerous place in Africa for media

The director of the leading private radio and television network in southern Somalia was murdered last week, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members. Hassan Osman Abdi, a senior journalist and director of Shabelle Media Network, was shot dead outside his home in Mogadishu on 28 January, after being followed by five men in a sedan, says NUSOJ.

Somalia

Independent journalists arrested in unprecedented numbers

Somalia's breakaway territory Somaliland has shut down a private television station it accuses of airing anti-government propaganda, and arrested 21 journalists who protested the move, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members.

Ethiopia / Sweden

Swedish journalists given 11 years on terrorism charges

Ethiopia sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in jail last week on charges of supporting terrorism after the pair illegally entered the country with a Somali rebel group, report IFEX's international members. Photojournalist Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye were arrested by Ethiopian security forces in July during a gunfight between Ethiopian soldiers and rebels in the no-go region of Ogaden, and were put on trial in October.

Somalia

Leading journalist murdered by man in military uniform

A leading journalist who had recently reported receiving death threats was shot and killed on 18 December by an armed man in military uniform, reports the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), along with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other international IFEX members.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Bought-off media worsen election marred in violence

Just before a brutally violent and hotly contested election, Journaliste en danger (JED) condemned the lack of media standards and inaction by DRC's broadcast regulatory that have contributed to massive divisions in the country.

Uganda / Rwanda

Rwandan journalist shot dead in Kampala, Uganda

Charles Ingabire, the Rwandan exiled editor of the online publication "Inyenyeri", was shot dead by one or more unknown gunmen in a vehicle at a bar in Kampala, Uganda on 30 November, report the Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) and other IFEX members. As "Inyeyeri" is highly critical of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, it is believed the early morning shooting - which killed Ingabire instantly - was carried out as a punishment for Ingabire's writings.

Burundi

Journalists defy media blackout on Gatumba massacre

Journalists are courageously defying a government order not to report on the Gatumba shooting massacre that left more than 35 people dead in Burundi last month, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). It appears to be part of a pattern of censorship.

Ethiopia

Reporter named in WikiLeaks flees amid crackdown on dissent

An Ethiopian journalist was forced to flee the country earlier this month after being named in a WikiLeaks cable - the first time a leaked cable has caused direct repercussions for a journalist, says the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). His case is part of a broadening crackdown on dissent in Ethiopia, say CPJ and other IFEX members.

Democratic Republic of Congo

IFEX appeals to President to take action against threats to IFEX member Journaliste en danger

IFEX has raised alarm bells to President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo about the safety of staff at its own member group Journaliste en danger (JED). Late last month, Donat M'Baya Tshimanga, president of JED, and secretary-general Tshivis Tshivuadi, received death threats in an email from what looks to be a supporter of the ruling party, warning that they should be ready for the "final battle." The intimidation is a sign of what's to come in the run-up to the presidential elections on 28 November, says IFEX.

Sudan / South Sudan

Governments not delivering on promises of media freedom

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomed President Omar al-Bashir's promise to free all jailed journalists detained in Sudan - but are wondering if he will actually deliver. Meanwhile, two months after independence, the media environment in South Sudan is undeveloped and ill-equipped, says ARTICLE 19.

Somalia / Malaysia

Malaysian journalist killed by AU forces

A Malaysian journalist was killed and another wounded after African Union (AU) forces fired on a Malaysian humanitarian convoy in Mogadishu on 2 September, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Media says no to abuse by politicians

Journalists' organisations and media executives in the Democratic Republic of Congo have imposed a six-month embargo on media coverage of a member of parliament for his violent behaviour against the media. It's just one tactic in their campaign against the "noticeable rise" in attacks against journalists ahead of the November elections, say Journaliste en danger (JED) and other IFEX members.

Burundi

Government extinguishes criticism with legal harassment

With a judiciary vulnerable to political interference, Burundian authorities have been behind a series of politically motivated arrests and summonses of journalists and lawyers to muffle public criticism, report Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Somalia

Radio station staffer killed by sniper

A Radio Simba staff member was killed by a sniper last week in the midst of fighting between insurgents and the Somali government and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces in Mogadishu, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Sudan

Post-split, governments silencing voices

Just a few hours before South Sudan's independence, the popular Arabic daily "Ajras Al-Hurriya" and five English-language newspapers were suspended - a worrying start to the relationship between north and south, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and Index on Censorship.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist gunned down amid rising attacks on press

A journalist who had recently reported about the arrest of locals accused of trafficking weapons for criminal activity was found shot to death last week in the eastern town of Kirumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo, report Journaliste en danger (JED) and other IFEX members.

Ethiopia

Anti-terrorism law used to suppress dissent

Ethiopian authorities have held a newspaper columnist incommunicado for at least eight days under what appears to be Ethiopia's anti-terrorist law, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International. Reeyot Alemu, a regular contributor to the independent weekly "Feteh", was arrested on 21 June. She is the second reporter to be picked up and held without charge in less than a week.

Uganda

Journalists, protesters and politicians under attack amid opposition protests

At least 10 journalists were attacked by soldiers last week in Uganda while covering the return of opposition leader Kizza Besigye to Uganda. Besigye had arrived from Kenya, where he was treated for injuries received when security forces violently dispersed an opposition demonstration in Kampala last month, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). It's just the latest example of the government's hostility to the press as walk-to-work protests continue over spiralling fuel and food prices, report Human Rights Network for Journalists - Uganda (HRJ-Uganda), CPJ and RSF.

Ethiopia

Government hijacks World Press Freedom Day event

Officials in Ethiopia celebrated World Press Freedom Day by hijacking a local UNESCO-sponsored 3 May event, putting up pro-government journalists as speakers and cancelling independent journalists who were scheduled to speak, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Uganda

Authorities arrest opposition, battle journalists and protesters

The leader of Uganda's main opposition party has been charged with riotous behaviour and inciting violence while at least eight journalists have reported being injured during a new wave of protests over rising fuel and food prices, say Human Rights Network Uganda (HRJ-Uganda) and news reports.

Uganda

IFEX members call on President to investigate attacks on journalists ahead of elections

Ugandan journalists preparing to cover presidential elections on 18 February have been threatened and assaulted, while opposition parties have been denied access to the media. Amid the political tensions and security concerns, 34 IFEX members are calling on the Ugandan President to immediately investigate all attacks on journalists and urge media houses to provide equal opportunities to all election candidates.

Rwanda

Women journalists get 17, seven years in jail

They weren't the ridiculously long sentences that prosecutors were looking for, but last week two women journalists in Rwanda were sentenced to 17 years and seven years respectively for inciting disobedience, causing divisions and denying the 1994 genocide, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Uganda

Gay rights activist beaten to death after receiving threats

A leading gay rights activist whose photo was printed on the front page of a Ugandan newspaper that called for homosexuals to be hanged was bludgeoned to death at his home near Kampala last week, report Human Rights Watch and ARTICLE 19.

Sudan

Authorities tighten controls on press after anti-government protests, referendum

Although last month's Sudanese referendum was largely seen as a success, the authorities harassed, obstructed and censored local and international news media covering the vote, and are continuing their clampdown on free expression in the face of street protests that are rapidly spreading across the North African region, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Somalia

Armed groups and politicians behind attacks on journalists, says NUSOJ

This week, two journalists for Somalia's leading independent media station Radio Shabelle were beaten by soldiers and officers of Somalia's transitional federal government while covering an innocuous football cup ceremony. The motive may have been a recent Radio Shabelle broadcast that revealed government corruption at the Mogadishu port. Incidents like these seem to be on the rise, says the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) in its year-end report.

Sudan

Activists and journalists arrested ahead of referendum

In the run-up to a January referendum on Southern Sudan's independence, Sudanese human rights defenders and critical journalists are being arbitrarily arrested and disappeared, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) and other IFEX members. The regime is particularly hunting down Darfuri activists and journalists.

International / Awards / Eritrea

Detained Eritrean journalist is 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom Laureate

Dawit Isaak, a founder of Eritrea's first independent newspaper who has been detained incommunicado for the past nine years without charge or trial, has won the 2011 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual prize of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). He turned 46 on 27 October. Sign a petition for his release.

Uganda

Elections won't be free and fair without journalist safety, say IFEX members

Last month in Uganda, Top Radio reporter Paul Kiggundu was brutally attacked and killed by a mob while working on a story. Three days later, Radio Prime journalist Dickson Ssentongo was beaten to death on his way to work. Unless media violence stops and journalists are allowed to do their work freely, next year's general elections will not be free and fair, warn 28 IFEX members in a joint letter that will be used to lobby the candidates.

Eritrea

Oppressive silence surrounds imprisoned journalists

Eritrean journalist Eyob Kessete was arrested this past summer as he attempted to flee Eritrea and cross the border into Ethiopia. His detention on the eve of the ninth anniversary of a vicious political purge of dissident voices in Asmara in September 2001 is part of a continuing pattern of terror, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Uganda

Two journalists killed in one week

An angry gang of motorcycle taxi drivers beat to death journalist Paul Kiggundu on 10 September when they discovered he was filming them demolish another driver's house, report the Human Rights Journalist Network - Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In a separate incident on 13 September, a radio journalist on his way to work was snatched off the road and beaten to death, reports HRNJ-Uganda.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Arrests and threats escalate

Thirty-one IFEX members have written to Congolese President Joseph Kabila, calling on him to end the persecution and harassment of journalists. In recent months, there have been "deliberate attacks on journalists and media... that could foreshadow even greater repression in the run-up to next year's elections if preventive measures are not adopted," says the joint action initiated by Journaliste en danger (JED) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Somalia

Third journalist slain this year

A Somali reporter was viciously stabbed to death in the Galkayo district of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, on 31 August, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Uganda

Press freedom victory, sedition law abolished

Five Ugandan judges ruled in favour of press freedom on 25 August by declaring the country's criminal sedition offense unconstitutional, report the Human Rights Network for Journalists - Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). But the government continues to threaten journalists with other legal actions.

Somalia

Second journalist slain in 2010; censorship and imprisonment in Puntland

Authorities in Puntland, a semi-autonomous area of Somalia, have banned journalists from interviewing rebels who are fighting this regional government. One journalist who broadcast an interview with an Islamist rebel chief has been punished with a six-year prison sentence, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI). In the capital, Mogadishu, clashes continue between the Transitional Federal Government and the Islamist group Al-Shabaab, taking the life of another journalist, report NUSOJ and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Rwanda

President Kagame silences critics surrounding re-election

Rwandan President Paul Kagame won another seven-year term in elections on 9 August, after already being in power for 15 years. He captured 93 percent of the vote by banning opposition parties and eliminating critical domestic news coverage, report Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists and other IFEX members. In the months leading up to election-day, the government systematically shut down news outlets and terrorised critical journalists into fleeing the country.

Burundi

Journalists face legal action and trumped-up charges

A Burundian journalist critical of state security forces faces life in prison if convicted, after being arrested and charged with treason on 17 July, report Human Rights Watch, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). A month later, another journalist was arrested, imprisoned and charged with defamation after writing an article about government corruption, says Journaliste en danger (JED).

Uganda

Journalists under siege by sedition law

A Ugandan journalist has been accused of sedition after writing two articles that speculated whether the Ugandan government was involved in July bomb attacks in Kampala, report the Human Rights Network of Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The sedition law is routinely used against dissident journalists. More than a dozen Ugandan journalists are currently being prosecuted under the law.

Somalia

At least eight journalists wounded in missile attack

When Somali government forces fired missiles at a press conference being held by militants on 29 June, at least eight journalists were injured, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Independent journalists covering clashes in Mogadishu are being increasingly harassed by the state, and media outlets continue to be targeted by Islamist militias.

Rwanda

Editor slain; opposition silenced in run-up to elections

In a climate of political repression weeks before Rwandan presidential elections, a leading independent editor was shot dead on 24 June, report Journaliste en Danger (JED), the Media Institute (MI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. Authorities had targeted him for months and his newspaper, one of the few critical voices in the country, had recently been banned. His assassination is a brutal episode in a broader crackdown as the state attempts to suppress all dissent prior to the elections in August.

Rwanda

Independent website blocked prior to elections

Immediately after his newspaper was suspended for criticising President Paul Kagame, a defiant Rwandan editor launched an online news website that was just as critical of the government. In the lead up to presidential elections in August, the site was recently blocked, report the Media Institute, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Prominent human rights defender slain

After exposing abuses by the security forces and government for years, an extremely vocal Congolese rights defender was found dead on 1 June, report Journaliste en Danger (JED) and Human Rights Watch.

Ethiopia

Society silenced by repressive state structure; independent media gagged around elections

Last week's Ethiopian presidential election result was no surprise, with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's governing party winning nearly every seat. Harassment and intimidation of voters and journalists, and the absence of a free, independent media was behind this smooth victory, report Human Rights Watch and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Burundi

Journalists attacked and human rights researcher silenced during election violence

Political violence has intensified in Burundi with members of political groups settling scores just as a series of elections have begun to take place in the country, says Human Rights Watch in its latest report. In a punitive response, days after the report on election violence was released on 14 May, authorities ordered a Human Rights Watch researcher to leave the country by 5 June. Journalists covering election battles have also been attacked.

Sudan

Opposition paper closed; journalists arrested

Sudanese authorities stormed the printing press of an opposition newspaper, confiscated copies of its 16 May issue, stopped the printing, and then arrested three of its journalists after raiding the newspaper's offices, report the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Violations against opposition political parties also took place during presidential and parliamentary elections in April, report the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).

Somalia

First journalist killed in 2010

Somali media took another heartbreaking blow with the murder of a Radio Mogadishu journalist last week, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) and other IFEX members. Just one day after World Press Freedom Day, on 4 May, gunmen abducted and killed the journalist; he had worked for a station managed by the Transitional Federal Government.

Rwanda

Newspapers suspended; opposition assaulted and threatened

The six-month suspension of two Rwandan newspapers has ensured they won't be able to report on presidential elections in August, gagging alternative voices, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Also, opposition members and activists critical of government policies are increasingly under attack, says Human Rights Watch.

Somalia

Foreign news programmes and music banned by insurgents

Militants have intensified censorship in Somalia. Al-Shabaab has banned BBC and Voice of America programmes that are re-broadcast through local FM stations in regions under its control, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The militia sees the programming as "Christian propaganda" that violates Islam. And another insurgent group has imposed an edict on radio stations in the capital, Mogadishu, to not air music or songs.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist slain

A prominent journalist who regularly covered armed conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was shot dead in front of his home in Béni, North Kivu, on 5 April, reports Journaliste en Danger (JED) and other IFEX members.

Uganda

Journalists under attack by demonstrators, security forces and media law

Several journalists were beaten and shot at as they faced the fury of authorities and demonstrators in clashes at the site of Ugandan royal tombs destroyed in an arson attack last week, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Three people were killed. Journalists are also under threat from the state as it attempts to muzzle the media and target critical journalists with repressive amendments to the press law, reports the International Press Institute (IPI) and Freedom House.

Ethiopia

Four media houses crushed with lethal fines

The Ethiopian government is settling political scores against journalists by slamming four newspaper publishing companies with crippling fines in reprisal for their coverage of the disputed 2005 elections, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The state is threatening to freeze their assets if the fines are not paid.

Uganda

New bill protects whistleblowers, but press freedom still undermined

The Ugandan parliament has passed a bill that protects individuals who disclose information on corruption or law-breaking in government or private bodies, reports ARTICLE 19. But Ugandan journalists are fighting for the right to do their jobs as press freedom violations escalated in the country in 2009 with countless radio stations shut down, say local rights groups.

Somalia

Militants imprison radio journalist

A Somali radio journalist was seized on 21 February by Al-Shabaab militants, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Democratic Republic of Congo

New media council lacks transparency

Journaliste en Danger (JED) has praise as well as concerns for a new media law passed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 31 December 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalists self-censor in order to survive

Although there has been a decline in free expression violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has not been matched by an improvement in the quality of news gathering, says Journaliste en danger (JED) in its 2009 annual report.

Somalia

Three journalists killed; bomber strikes at heart of country's future

A suicide bomber dressed as a woman blew himself up at a university graduation ceremony in Mogadishu on 3 December, killing three Somali journalists and at least 25 others, reports the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). This tragedy has spurred twenty-six IFEX members to join NUSOJ in a joint appeal for justice.

Burundi

Critics silenced; network of 146 NGOs banned

Burundian authorities outlawed a network of 146 civil society organisations on 23 November, following weeks of intimidation and threats to civil society activists who were demanding accountability for killings in 2009, report Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) in a joint statement.

Somalia

Kidnapped foreign journalists released after 15 months

Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan have been freed after being abducted by gunmen in Somalia and held captive for 15 months, report Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

Ethiopia

State interference in media content; shift in media law

Despite some positive changes in media law, Ethiopian journalists operating within state media have no editorial independence, says the International Press Institute (IPI) after a recent fact-finding mission to Ethiopia.

Somalia

Deadly edicts issued against press; journalist honoured

Independent media continues to be under threat in southern Somalia as a result of a recent outbreak of internal fighting last week between rival Islamist groups fighting for control of the town of Kismayo and its lucrative port, reports the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

Eritrea

Abysmal ranking as world's worst place for journalists

Eritrea ranks last place on the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) index measuring the level of press freedom in 173 countries. Privately owned press have been banished by the authoritarian President Issaias Afeworki since 2001, and the few journalists who dare to criticise the regime are thrown in prison, says RSF. Four journalists have died in detention and, currently, at least 30 journalists and two media workers are believed to be in prison without trial.

Uganda

Crackdown on radio journalists

A spasm of violence shook Uganda last week in a power struggle between the government and the Buganda kingdom. State-run Uganda Broadcasting Council shut down radio stations on 11 September, ordering a halt to political debate and commentary on clashes in the capital, Kampala, according to the Media Institute (MI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Sudan

Journalist released from detention after being fined for wearing pants

A Sudanese journalist was convicted on 7 September of "sensational dressing" and jailed for wearing trousers, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) and the International Press Institute (IPI). Protesters in support of Lubna Ahmed Hussein were beaten outside the court and reporters barred from the proceedings.

Uganda

Ahead of elections, authorities crack down on media

As tensions build in the lead-up to the 2011 general elections in Uganda, so do criminal charges and prosecutions against journalists, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and local rights groups. Four journalists from the "Monitor", Uganda's largest independent paper, are facing criminal prosecutions, while three other independent journalists have been accused of sedition, reports CPJ.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Journalist's murder highlights deteriorating press freedom situation in east

A radio presenter was stabbed to death last weekend in Bukavu, the latest in a string of events that raises serious press freedom concerns in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, report Journaliste en Danger (JED), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Somalia

Martial law could lead to free expression abuses, says NUSOJ

Somalia's parliament has voted to declare three months of martial law, which could lead to more restrictions on free expression, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) warns.

Ethiopia

IFEX members raise alarm over anti-terrorism law

Ethiopia's parliament has just approved sweeping anti-terrorism legislation that could see journalists jailed for carrying out their work, report the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA), the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Watch.

Somalia

NUSOJ holds forum on safety and ethics in a war zone

Journalists, media executives and Somali and international free expression advocates gathered this past weekend to encourage each other and strategise amid the ever-present threats of torture, kidnapping, political intimidation and death that fact finders in Somalia face.

Somalia

Radio reporter killed in Mogadishu

Another journalist has been killed in violence-ridden Mogadishu, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Sudan

New press law will lead to "more suppression"

Sudan's approval of a new press law "is a severe strike" against press freedom in Sudan and is "paving the way for more suppression," says the Arabic Network of Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Other IFEX members, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ARTICLE 19, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have also expressed concern about the law.

Somalia

Radio director assassinated in busy market

A radio director was shot in the head five times while strolling through a bustling Mogadishu market with a colleague on 7 June, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Sudan

Journalists protest press law before parliament

Sudan's draft press law will seriously impede journalists' ability to access and disseminate information if passed, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). ARTICLE 19 and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have also expressed concern about the repressive provisions of the draft.

Somalia

Journalists die amid renewed violence

A radio producer was gunned down last week in crossfire in Mogadishu, while another journalist died on 26 May from gunshot wounds suffered while covering fighting in central Somalia in April. They are the third and fourth journalists to be killed in Somalia this year, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Kenya

Triumph for journalists as government agrees to amend media law

Following a concerted campaign, the Kenyan government has published amendments to the Communications Act, which will delete a controversial clause that allows the government to raid broadcasting stations, report the Africa Free Media Foundation, the Media Institute and local news reports.

Somalia

NUSOJ unveils bulletproof gear for journalists

In recognition of Somalia being the most dangerous country in Africa for journalists, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has got their journalists' backs covered - literally. This month, NUSOJ distributed 20 bulletproof jackets and helmets to independent journalists and targeted news organisations in the most volatile areas of the country.

Madagascar

DES JOURNALISTES SONT PRIS AU MILIEU D'UNE LUTTE POUR LE POUVOIR

Madagascar

PERIODISTAS ATRAPADOS EN MEDIO DE DISPUTA POR EL PODER

Madagascar

JOURNALISTS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF POWER DISPUTE

Five newspapers were forced to stop publishing and several journalists were attacked amid a power struggle that culminated Monday with the resignation of President Marc Ravalomana and the announcement that the ousted mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, will lead Madagascar's transitional government.

Sudan

LE GOUVERNEMENT DÉCLENCHE UNE VAGUE DE RÉPRESSION CONTRE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION, DIT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Sudan

GOBIERNO ENCABEZA OFENSIVA CONTRA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN, DICE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

Sudan

GOVERNMENT LEADS FREE EXPRESSION CRACKDOWN, SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

The Sudanese authorities are censoring the media and cracking down on human rights activists and journalists who speak out on human rights and justice, Human Rights Watch says in a new report.

Madagascar

UN REPORTER EST TUÉ PENDANT QU’IL COUVRAIT UNE MANIFESTATION DE PROTESTATION ANTI-GOUVERNEMENTALE

Republic of Congo

UN JOURNALISTE MEURT DANS UN MYSTÉRIEUX INCENDIE

Madagascar

REPORTERO ASESINADO MIENTRAS CUBRÍA MANIFESTACIONES ANTIGUBERNAMENTALES

Republic of Congo

PERIODISTA MUERE TRAS INCENDIO MISTERIOSO

Madagascar

REPORTER KILLED COVERING ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST

A reporter was shot dead while covering an anti-government protest in Madagascar, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Republic of Congo

JOURNALIST DIES AFTER MYSTERIOUS FIRE

A reporter known for criticising the government and alleging high-level corruption has died of wounds sustained in a mysterious fire at his home in the Republic of Congo, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Somalia

LE DIRECTEUR DE « HORNAFRIK » EST ABATTU

Kenya

UN JOURNALISTE CRITIQUE EST TROUVÉ DÉCAPITÉ

Somalia

BALEAN A DIRECTOR DE HORNAFRIK

Kenya

ENCUENTRAN CUERPO DECAPITADO DE PERIODISTA CRÍTICO

Somalia

DIRECTOR OF HORNAFRIK GUNNED DOWN

The director of the prominent radio station HornAfrik has been assassinated, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Kenya

CRITICAL JOURNALIST FOUND BEHEADED

A reporter who went missing last month following stories he wrote exposing police corruption was found decapitated in southwestern Kenya, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Somalia

UN JOURNALISTE SOMALIEN EST LIBÉRÉ, DEUX REPORTERS ÉTRANGERS SONT TOUJOURS RETENUS

Somalia

LIBERAN A PERIODISTA SOMALÍ, DOS REPORTEROS EXTRANJEROS SIGUEN DETENIDOS

Somalia

SOMALI JOURNALIST FREED, TWO FOREIGN REPORTERS STILL BEING HELD

The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members welcomed the release of a Somali journalist after 146 days in captivity, and call for the safe release of two foreign journalists who were kidnapped with him.

Somalia

SOLDADO ABATE A PERIODISTA; INFORME DE NUSOJ DESCRIBE LA VIOLENCIA

Kenya

PRESIDENTE APRUEBA POLÉMICO PROYECTO DE LEY DE MEDIOS

Somalia

UN SOLDAT ABAT UN JOURNALISTE; UN RAPPORT DU NUSOJ DONNE DES PRÉCISIONS SUR LA VIOLENCE

Kenya

LE PRÉSIDENT RATIFIE UN PROJET DE LOI CONTROVERSÉ SUR LES MÉDIAS

Somalia

SOLDIER GUNS DOWN JOURNALIST; NUSOJ REPORT DETAILS VIOLENCE

A radio reporter from Somalia is the first journalist in 2009 to be killed in the line of duty, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members.

Kenya

PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL MEDIA BILL

Despite a concerted national and international campaign, including a letter signed by 28 IFEX members, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has signed into law a controversial media bill that imposes new restrictions on the press, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members.

Kenya

LES AUTORITÉS ARRÊTENT DES JOURNALISTES QUI PROTESTAIENT CONTRE UN NOUVEAU PROJET DE LOI SUR LES COMMUNICATIONS

Kenya

AUTORIDADES ARRESTAN A PERIODISTAS QUE PROTESTAN POR NUEVO PROYECTO DE LEY DE COMUNICACIONES

Kenya

AUTHORITIES ARREST JOURNALISTS PROTESTING NEW COMMUNICATIONS BILL

Several journalists and civil society activists in Kenya were arrested last week while protesting the passage of a new communications bill that would give the authorities sweeping powers, reports the Media Institute (MI).

Democratic Republic of Congo

SEGUNDO PERIODISTA DE LA ONU ASESINADO EN BUKAVU

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN DEUXIÈME JOURNALISTE DES NATIONS UNIES EST TUÉ À BUKAVU

Democratic Republic of Congo

SECOND UN JOURNALIST KILLED IN BUKAVU

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should thoroughly and transparently investigate the killing of a journalist from a UN-backed radio station in Bukavu, eastern DRC, the second journalist killed from the station in 17 months, say Journalist in Danger (JED) and other IFEX members.

Sudan

DES JOURNALISTES SONT ARRÊTÉS LORS D'UN RASSEMBLEMENT CONTRE LA CENSURE

Sudan

PERIODISTAS ARRESTADOS EN OPERACIÓN DE CENSURA

Sudan

JOURNALISTS ARRESTED AT CENSORSHIP RALLY

Police in Sudan arrested more than 60 journalists during a protest against media censorship, report the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and news sources. Riot police armed with canes and shields rounded up the journalists outside parliament on 17 November and took them to a police station. Those detained were subsequently released.

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES JOURNALISTES SONT CIBLÉS DANS DE RÉCENTS AFFRONTEMENTS

Democratic Republic of Congo

PERIODISTAS ATACADOS EN ENFRENTAMIENTOS RECIENTES

Democratic Republic of Congo

JOURNALISTS TARGETED IN RECENT CLASHES

Journalists and other civilians are deliberately being targeted by rebel forces and government-backed militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, report Journalist in Danger (JED), Human Rights Watch and other IFEX members.

Democratic Republic of Congo

LE PERSONNEL DE JED EST MENACÉ DE MORT

Democratic Republic of Congo

AMENAZAN DE MUERTE A PERSONAL DE JED

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED STAFF THREATENED WITH DEATH

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is using the occasion of President Joseph Kabila's state visit to France to draw attention to threats made against its partner organisation - and IFEX member - in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Journalist in Danger (JED).

Ethiopia

NUEVAS LEYES AMENAZAN LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Ethiopia

DE NOUVELLES LOIS MENACENT LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Ethiopia

NEW LAWS THREATEN FREE EXPRESSION

Ethiopia has passed a new media law that bans censorship of private media and the detention of journalists, but which critics say maintains other threats to free expression.

Somalia

ASESINAN A LÍDER DE NUSOJ

Somalia

UN DIRIGEANT DU NUSOJ EST ASSASSINÉ

Somalia

NUSOJ LEADER ASSASSINATED

The vice-president of IFEX member the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) was gunned down last week, days after the group had appealed to the UN Security Council to protect journalists in the conflict-ridden country.

Kenya

UN PHOTOJOURNALISTE ÉTRANGER EST RETROUVÉ ASSASSINÉ

Kenya

ENCUENTRAN MUERTO A REPORTERO GRÁFICO EXTRANJERO

Kenya

FOREIGN PHOTOJOURNALIST FOUND MURDERED

A New Zealand-born photojournalist was found murdered in Nairobi, Kenya last week, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

APELACIÓN EN CASO DE ASESINATO ARRUINADA POR VIOLACIONES A DERECHOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN APPEL DANS UNE AFFAIRE DE MEURTRE EST ENTACHÉ PAR DES VIOLATIONS DES DROITS

Democratic Republic of Congo

MURDER APPEAL MARRED BY RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

A military appeals court has sentenced to death three people for the killing of a UN journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a trial riddled with "irregularities", say Journalist in Danger (JED), other IFEX members, rights groups and the UN.

Burundi

ATACAN A EMPLEADOS DE DIFUSORA PÚBLICA

Burundi

DES EMPLOYÉS DU RADIODIFFUSEUR PUBLIC SONT ATTAQUÉS

Burundi

PUBLIC BROADCASTER EMPLOYEES ATTACKED

IFEX members Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are calling on the Burundi government to investigate two separate attacks last week that killed one employee of the country's public broadcaster and left another staff member wounded.

Ethiopia

LES MUSICIENS COURENT DES RISQUES S'ILS PARLENT

Ethiopia

MÚSICOS EN RIESGO POR EXPRESARSE

Somalia

NUSOJ RECIBE PREMIO AL VALOR POR LA DEMOCRACIA

Somalia

LE NUSOJ REÇOIT LE PRIX COURAGE ET DÉMOCRATIE

Somalia

NUSOJ RECEIVES DEMOCRACY COURAGE AWARD

Kudos to IFEX member the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), which has won the World Movement for Democracy's (WMD) Democracy Courage Award on behalf of Somali journalists.

Kenya

MISIÓN ENCUENTRA QUE MEDIOS INFORMARON TÍMIDAMENTE DE CRISIS POLÍTICA

Kenya

LES MÉDIAS COUVRENT LA CRISE POLITIQUE AVEC TIMIDITÉ, CONSTATE UNE MISSION

Kenya

MEDIA TIMIDLY REPORTED POLITICAL CRISIS, MISSION FINDS

The Kenyan media failed in its job to report fully on the political crisis and violence that followed December's presidential election because it was too busy trying to keep the peace, says a joint fact-finding mission by ARTICLE 19, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and International Media Support (IMS), an organisation helping local media in conflict-affected areas.

Uganda

PRESENTADORA DE RADIO COMUNITARIA MUERTA

Somalia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX EXIGEN PROTECCIÓN PARA PERIODISTAS

Uganda

UNE PRÉSENTATRICE DE RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE EST TUÉE

Somalia

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX EXIGENT LA PROTECTION DES JOURNALISTES

Uganda

COMMUNITY RADIO PRESENTER KILLED

A radio producer in Uganda was raped and killed by unidentified assailants, report Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA).

Somalia

IFEX MEMBERS DEMAND PROTECTION FOR JOURNALISTS

Amid a backdrop of daily shootouts between Islamist insurgents, warlords and Ethiopian-backed Somali government forces, 27 IFEX members are demanding that the Somali government protect its journalists and end its own repression of the media.

Kenya

LE GOUVERNEMENT LÈVE L'INTERDIT ET MET LES MÉDIAS EN GARDE

Kenya

GOBIERNO LEVANTA PROHIBICIÓN Y ADVIERTE A MEDIOS

Kenya

GOVERNMENT LIFTS BAN, CAUTIONS MEDIA

The Kenya government unconditionally lifted the month-long ban on live broadcasting yesterday, reports the Media Institute.

Kenya

MEDIOS ESTÁN SIENDO SILENCIADOS MIENTRAS CRISIS POLÍTICA SE INTENSIFICA

Somalia

PERIODISTA ASESINADO EN ESTALLIDO DE MINA TERRESTRE

Kenya

LES MÉDIAS RÉDUITS AU SILENCE TANDIS QUE LA CRISE POLITIQUE PREND DE L'AMPLEUR

Somalia

UN JOURNALISTE EST TUÉ PAR L'EXPLOSION D'UNE MINE TERRESTRE

Kenya

MEDIA BEING SILENCED AS POLITICAL CRISIS INTENSIFIES

A continuing ban on live broadcasts and new death threats to journalists in Kenya are silencing media reports on the country's escalating political crisis, says IFEX member the Media Institute.

Somalia

JOURNALIST KILLED IN LANDMINE BLAST

A journalist on his way to a press conference was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Somalia, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and other IFEX members.

Kenya

LE GOUVERNEMENT IMPOSE LE BLACKOUT DE L'INFORMATION

Kenya

GOBIERNO IMPONE APAGÓN INFORMATIVO

Kenya

GOVERNMENT IMPOSES NEWS BLACKOUT

The Media Institute in Kenya and 22 other IFEX members have condemned the Kenyan government's decision to ban live TV and radio broadcasts in response to post-election violence.

Democratic Republic of Congo

L'INTERDIT DES MÉDIAS EXPLIQUE LE NOMBRE RECORD DES ATTAQUES CONTRE LES MÉDIAS

Ethiopia

AGISSEZ ! RAMENEZ LES MILITANTS ÉTHIOPIENS CHEZ EUX POUR LES FÊTES

Sudan

UN AVOCAT SOUDANAIS REMPORTE UN PRIX DU PARLEMENT EUROPÉEN POUR LES DROITS DE LA PERSONNE

Democratic Republic of Congo

PROSCRIPCIÓN EN MEDIOS EXPLICA CIFRA RÉCORD DE ATAQUES A MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN

Ethiopia

¡ACTÚE! RETORNEN A ACTIVISTAS ETÍOPES A CASA PARA LAS NAVIDADES

Sudan

ABOGADO SUDANÉS GANA PREMIO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS DEL PARLAMENTO EUROPEO

Democratic Republic of Congo

MEDIA BAN EXPLAINS RECORD NUMBER OF ATTACKS ON MEDIA

Nearly 40 Kinshasa-based radio and television stations have been banned in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since October, in what the government says is an effort to "clean up the profession." The ban largely accounts for the record number of violations against journalists and the media in the country in 2007, says Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED), which marked International Human Rights Day on 10 December by denouncing the "programmed death" of the opposition media.

Ethiopia

TAKE ACTION! BRING ETHIOPIAN ACTIVISTS HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Daniel Bekele and Netsanet Demissie, human rights lawyers and coordinators of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Ethiopia, have been in detention for more than two years for treason-related charges. If found guilty, they could face life in jail or the death sentence.

Sudan

SUDANESE LAWYER WINS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD

The European Parliament's top human rights award, the Sakharov Prize, has been given to a Sudanese lawyer working to defend human rights in Darfur.

Somalia

LE GOUVERNEMENT FERME TROIS STATIONS EN DEUX JOURS

Somalia

GOBIERNO CIERRA TRES ESTACIONES EN DOS DÍAS

Somalia

GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN THREE STATIONS IN TWO DAYS

Somalia's government has forced three prominent radio stations off the air in the space of two days over their coverage of the bloody conflict in Mogadishu, report the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and local human rights groups.

Somalia

PROPIETARIO DE MEDIOS ASESINADO; PERIODISTAS ARRESTADOS

Somalia

UN PROPRIÉTAIRE DE MÉDIAS EST ASSASSINÉ, DES JOURNALISTES SONT ARRÊTÉS

Somalia

MEDIA OWNER MURDERED, JOURNALISTS ARRESTED

After the eighth slaying of a journalist in Somalia this year, on 19 October 2007, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) issued an urgent appeal for international measures towards the Somali government. Bashir Nur Gedi, acting head of Shabelle Media Network - the second biggest in the Horn of Africa - was the third media owner murdered by unidentified gunmen in the capital.

Ethiopia

RELATOS DEL CUERNO DE ÁFRICA: 'UNA VIDA SE SALVÓ, LA OTRA SE PERDIÓ'

Eritrea

HISTOIRES EN PROVENANCE DE LA CORNE DE L'AFRIQUE : « UNE VIE SAUVÉE, L'AUTRE PERDUE »

Eritrea

HORN OF AFRICA STORIES: 'ONE LIFE SAVED, THE OTHER LOST'

Two newsmen, Befekadu Moreda from Ethiopia and Paulos Kidane from Eritrea, both tried to flee the region to escape government oppression. But "one life (was) saved and the other lost." In a special report, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recounts their stories and provides a glimpse into the adversity facing journalists in the volatile Horn of Africa.

Somalia

SOLDADOS ABREN FUEGO CONTRA EMPRESA DE MEDIOS

Somalia

LA TROUPE OUVRE LE FEU SUR UNE ENTREPRISE DE MÉDIAS

Somalia

TROOPS OPEN FIRE ON MEDIA HOUSE

Somalia's independent Shabelle media house said government troops surrounded its Mogadishu office today (18 September) and opened fire, wounding a security guard, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) and news reports. The incident occurred days after security forces arrested 19 staff at Shabelle on 15 September.

Uganda

DEBATE POR HOMOSEXUALIDAD DETONA OFENSIVA CONTRA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED INDIGNADO POR "ABSURDO" FALLO JUDICIAL EN JUICIO POR ASESINATO DE REPORTERO DE ONU

Uganda

UN DÉBAT SUR L'HOMOSEXUALITÉ DÉCLENCHE LA RÉPRESSION CONTRE LA PRESSE

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED SE DIT SECOUÉ DEVANT L'« ABSURDE » VERDICT QUI A CONCLU LE PROCÈS POUR LE MEURTRE D'UN REPORTER DES NATIONS UNIES

Uganda

HOMOSEXUALITY DEBATE IGNITES CRACKDOWN ON FREE EXPRESSION

The Uganda Broadcasting Council (UBC) has suspended a popular Capital FM radio presenter for hosting gay activists who used "foul language" on air, effectively silencing a renewed debate on gay and lesbian rights, reports Kenya-based IFEX member the Media Institute.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED SHOCKED AT "ABSURD" VERDICT IN UN JOURNALIST MURDER TRIAL

Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) accused Congolese authorities of conducting a farcical investigation and trial that led to four people being hastily sentenced to death for killing a UN journalist.

Somalia

JOVEN REPORTERO BALEADO

Kenya

PRESIDENTE RECHAZA POLÉMICO PROYECTO DE LEY DE MEDIOS

Somalia

UN JEUNE REPORTER EST ABATTU

Kenya

LE PRÉSIDENT REJETTE UN PROJET DE LOI CONTROVERSÉ SUR LES MÉDIAS

Somalia

YOUNG REPORTER GUNNED DOWN

A young reporter on his way home from a journalism training workshop in Mogadishu was killed in an ambush on 24 August, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and affiliate organisation the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) report. He is the third journalist to be killed in two weeks in Somalia.

Kenya

PRESIDENT REJECTS CONTROVERSIAL MEDIA BILL

Press freedom groups welcomed Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's refusal to sign into law a media bill that would compel reporters to reveal their sources in court.One of IFEX's members in Kenya, the Media Institute, had been campaigning vigorously against the bill.

Ethiopia

INDULTAN A CUATRO PERIODISTAS

Ethiopia

QUATRE JOURNALISTES REÇOIVENT UN PARDON

Ethiopia

FOUR JOURNALISTS PARDONED

Four jailed journalists were released on conditional pardon on Saturday along with 27 opposition activists, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Somalia

DEUX JOURNALISTES DE LA RADIO TUÉS DANS UNE VAGUE D'ATTENTATS

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN PHOTOGRAPHE DE NOUVELLES EST ABATTU

Kenya

LE PRÉSIDENT EST PRIÉ DE REJETER UNE LOI QUI FORCE LES JOURNALISTES À DIVULGUER LEURS SOURCES

Somalia

DOS PERIODISTAS RADIOFÓNICOS MUERTOS EN OLA DE ATAQUES VIOLENTOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

BALEAN Y MATAN A REPORTERO GRÁFICO

Kenya

INSTAN A PRESIDENTE A RECHAZAR LEY QUE EXIGE A PERIODISTAS REVELAR FUENTES

Kenya

INSTAN A PRESIDENTE A RECHAZAR LEY QUE EXIGE A PERIODISTAS REVELAR FUENTES

Somalia

TWO RADIO JOURNALISTS KILLED IN WAVE OF VIOLENT ATTACKS

Press freedom groups worldwide expressed horror at the "savage" killings of two prominent Somali journalists on 11 August 2007, saying they demonstrate the perilous conditions reporters work in and threaten an independent media for the war-torn country.

Democratic Republic of Congo

NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER SHOT DEAD

Journaliste en danger (JED) and other free expression groups voiced dismay at the killing of freelance photographer Patrick Kikuku Wilungula on 9 August 2007.

Kenya

PRESIDENT URGED TO REJECT LAW REQUIRING JOURNALISTS TO REVEAL SOURCES

Kenyan media were "thunderstruck" by the surprise passage of a media law that would require journalists to disclose their sources in court, according to the Nairobi-based Media Institute.

Ethiopia

INDULTAN A MANIFESTANTES, PERO DOS PERIODISTAS SIGUEN ENCARCELADOS

Ethiopia

DES PROTESTATAIRES REÇOIVENT UN PARDON, MAIS DEUX JOURNALISTES SONT TOUJOURS INCARCÉRÉS

Ethiopia

PROTESTERS PARDONED, BUT TWO JOURNALISTS STILL JAILED

Ethiopia has pardoned and freed 34 opposition members and four journalists who had been convicted last week for their links to deadly 2005 protests against alleged poll-rigging, say Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and news reports. But two Ethiopian journalists initially sentenced to life remain in jail.

Ethiopia

QUATRE JOURNALISTES CONDAMNÉS À LA PRISON À VIE

Ethiopia

CUATRO PERIODISTAS SENTENCIADOS A CADENA PERPETUA

Ethiopia

FOUR JOURNALISTS SENTENCED TO LIFE IN JAIL

An Ethiopian court sentenced 35 opposition leaders, including four journalists, to life in prison yesterday, rebuffing a prosecution request that they be executed for trying to overthrow the government, inciting violence and treason.

Eritrea

PERIODISTA MUERE AL HUIR DE OFENSIVA CONTRA MEDIOS PÚBLICOS

Eritrea

UN JOURNALISTE MEURT ENTENTANT DE FUIR LA RÉPRESSION QUI S'ABAT SUR LES MÉDIAS PUBLICS

Eritrea

JOURNALIST DIES FLEEING CRACKDOWN ON PUBLIC MEDIA

One of nine journalists arrested in a November 2006 crackdown on Eritrean public media has died while attempting to flee the country in June, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Two others of the nine have been re-arrested.

Democratic Republic of Congo

EDITOR QUE TEMÍA POR SU VIDA FUE ASESINADO

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN REPORTER QUI CRAIGNAIT POUR SA VIE EST ASSASSINÉ

Democratic Republic of Congo

EDITOR WHO FEARED FOR HIS LIFE MURDERED

A journalist who feared for his life and had asked the authorities for protection was shot while getting into his vehicle in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, report Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. He later died in hospital.

Ethiopia

DOS EDITORES PODRÍAN ENFRENTARSE A LA PENA DE MUERTE DESPUÉS DE CONDENAS DE LA SUPREMA CORTE

Ethiopia

DEUX RÉDACTEURS RISQUENT LA PEINE DE MORT APRÈS AVOIR ÉTÉ RECONNUS COUPABLES DEVANT LA HAUTE COUR

Ethiopia

TWO EDITORS COULD FACE DEATH AFTER HIGH COURT CONVICTIONS

Four editors and three publishing houses in Ethiopia were found guilty on 11 June of links to deadly 2005 protests against alleged poll-rigging, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Sentencing is next month and two of the editors could face the death penalty. The exiled Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) is calling for urgent action from the international community to save their lives.

Somalia

DOS REPORTEROS MUERTOS EN EMBOSCADA CONTRA DELEGACIÓN GUBERNAMENTAL

Somalia

DEUX REPORTERS SONT TUÉS DANS UNE EMBUSCADE CONTRE UNE DÉLÉGATION DU GOUVERNEMENT

Somalia

TWO REPORTERS KILLED IN AMBUSH ON GOVERNMENT DELEGATION

Two journalists travelling in convoy with a Somali government delegation were shot dead by unidentified gunmen north of Mogadishu, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) and their local partner, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ).

Somalia

UN REPORTER DE LA RADIO PERD LA VIE DANS UN ÉCHANGE DE TIRS

Somalia

REPORTERO DE RADIO BALEADO EN FUEGO CRUZADO

Somalia

RADIO REPORTER KILLED IN CROSSFIRE

A radio reporter was killed in the crossfire on 5 May while covering an army raid on an illegal gun market in the Puntland region, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Sudan

PAS JUSTE UN « PAYS DE MASSACRES », CONSTATE RSF

Sudan

NO SÓLO UNA "TIERRA DE MASACRES", ENCUENTRA RSF

Sudan

NOT JUST A "LAND OF MASSACRES", RSF FINDS

The image of Sudan as home to the 21st century's first genocide and closed off to the world is misleading, a Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) fact-finding mission found.

Eritrea

TREINTA Y OCHO MIEMBROS DE IFEX EXIGEN JUSTICIA PARA PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS Y ASESINADOS

Ethiopia

OCHO PERIODISTAS ABSUELTOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JUICIO INJUSTO PARA ASESINOS DE EDITOR

Eritrea

TRENTE-HUIT GROUPES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX DEMANDENT JUSTICE POUR LES JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS ET CEUX QUI SONT ASSASSINÉS

Ethiopia

HUIT JOURNALISTES SONT ACQUITTÉS

Democratic Republic of Congo

PROCÈS INIQUE POUR LES ASSASSINS D'UN RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF

Eritrea

THIRTY-EIGHT IFEX MEMBERS DEMAND JUSTICE FOR JAILED AND MURDERED JOURNALISTS

Thirty-eight IFEX member organisations, led by PEN Canada and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), have called on the Eritrean government to publicly account for the death of four journalists in custody and to unconditionally release all journalists remaining behind bars.

Ethiopia

EIGHT JOURNALISTS ACQUITTED

Eight journalists accused of treason and attempted genocide were set free after 17 months in jail, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Their release followed the acquittal of the exiled president of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA) just four days earlier.

Democratic Republic of Congo

UNFAIR TRIAL FOR EDITOR'S ASSASSINS

Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED) has expressed its disappointment over the "incomplete" trial held last week for the alleged assassins of a journalist and his wife, which resulted in two defendants being sentenced to death.

Eritrea

INSTAN A EXILIADOS A AYUDAR A PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Eritrea

LA DIASPORA EST PRIÉE DE VENIR EN AIDE AUX JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS

Eritrea

DIASPORA URGED TO AID IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS

On the 2,000th day since Eritrea's "Black Tuesday" crackdown on media in 2001, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) urged Eritreans abroad to demand explanations for the imprisonment of at least 14 journalists, four of whom are feared dead.

Eritrea

SE INFORMA DE MUERTE DE PROMINENTE PERIODISTA

Eritrea

UN JOURNALISTE ÉMINENT SERAIT MORT

Eritrea

PROMINENT JOURNALIST REPORTEDLY DEAD

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) have received reports from Eritrean sources that Fessehaye "Joshua" Yohannes, the detained editor of a popular weekly newspaper, has died.

Burundi

TRIBUNAL ANULA CARGOS CONTRA PERIODISTAS

Burundi

LE TRIBUNAL ANNULE LES CHEFS D'ACCUSATION PORTÉS CONTRE DES JOURNALISTES

Burundi

COURT QUASHES CHARGES AGAINST JOURNALISTS

A court in Burundi has thrown out charges against three journalists accused by the government of threatening national security, a move hailed by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Burundi

LE GOUVERNEMENT CIBLE LES MILITANTS DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE ET LES JOURNALISTES

Burundi

GOBIERNO SE CONCENTRA EN ACTIVISTAS DE LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL Y PERIODISTAS

Burundi

GOVERNMENT TARGETS CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS, JOURNALISTS

The human rights situation in Burundi appears to be deteriorating, with a growing number of civil society activists and independent journalists arrested and harassed in recent months, report Human Rights Watch, Journaliste en danger (JED), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Chad

L'ÉTAT D'URGENCE JETTE UN FROID SUR LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Eritrea

DES ARRESTATIONS SÈMENT LA CRAINTE D'UNE NOUVELLE VAGUE DE RÉPRESSION DES MÉDIAS

Chad

ESTADO DE EMERGENCIA EMPAÑA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Eritrea

AUMENTO DE ARRESTOS SUSCITA TEMORES DE NUEVA OFENSIVA CONTRA MEDIOS

Eritrea

ARRESTS RAISE FEARS OF NEW CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA

Eritrea is one of the leading jailers of journalists in Africa, with 13 currently behind bars. Since a government crackdown on the press in 2001, all independent media outlets have been closed.

Eritrea

TRECE PERIODISTAS SIGUEN ENCARCELADOS EN QUINTO ANIVERSARIO DE OFENSIVA

Eritrea

TREIZE JOURNALISTES TOUJOURS INCARCÉRÉS, CINQ ANS APRÈS LA RÉPRESSION

Sudan

OFENSIVA CONTRA PRENSA MIENTRAS AUMENTA CRÍTICA EN DARFUR

Eritrea

13 JOURNALISTS STILL IN JAIL ON FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CRACKDOWN

Five years after Eritrean authorities launched a massive crackdown on independent journalists and media outlets, 13 journalists continue to be held in secret jails, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Sudan

LA PRESSE EST LA CIBLE DE RÉPRESSION TANDIS QUE LES CRITIQUES DE LA SITUATION AU DARFOUR PRENNENT DE L'AMPLEUR

Sudan

CRACKDOWN ON PRESS AS DARFUR CRITICISM MOUNTS

Freedom of the press in Sudan has been heavily curtailed in the past month amidst renewed international criticism of the Sudanese government over the human rights crisis in Darfur. A journalist has been murdered, two foreign reporters charged with espionage and several local journalists harassed and beaten by police, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Democratic Republic of Congo

PERIODISTA ASESINADO MIENTRAS ELECCIONES SE ACERCAN

Republic of Congo

À L'APPROCHE DES ÉLECTIONS, UN JOURNALISTE EST TUÉ

Republic of Congo

JOURNALIST KILLED AS ELECTION NEARS

Journaliste en danger (JED), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have expressed concern about the safety of journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the country prepares for its first elections in more than 40 years.

Somalia

A REPORTERO GRÁFICO SUECO

Somalia

UN PHOTOJOURNALISTE SUÉDOIS EST ASSASSINÉ

Somalia

SWEDISH PHOTOJOURNALIST MURDERED

One day after militia leaders signed a peace accord with the transitional federal government in Somalia, Swedish photojournalist Martin Adler was shot and killed by an unidentified assailant in the capital, Mogadishu on 23 June 2006, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

PERIODISTAS AGREDIDOS EN PERÍODO PREVIO A ELECCIONES

Democratic Republic of Congo

DES JOURNALISTES SONT ATTAQUÉS PENDANT LE DERNIER DROIT AVANT LES ÉLECTIONS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JOURNALISTS, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ATTACKED IN RUN-UP TO ELECTIONS

As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepares to hold its first elections in more than 40 years on 30 July 2006, Journaliste en danger (JED), Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) are warning that a spate of attacks against journalists and human rights activists in recent weeks could foster a climate of self-censorship in the media and deprive voters of important information.

Kenya

PERSONAL DE ESTACIÓN DE RADIO MUERTO EN ALLANAMIENTO

Kenya

DES EMPLOYÉS D'UNE STATION DE RADIO SONT TUÉS DANS UN RAID

Kenya

RADIO STATION STAFF KILLED IN RAID

An attack on a Christian radio station in Nairobi, Kenya, has left a security guard dead and two staff injured, following the airing of a programme entitled "Yesu Ndiye Njia" ("Jesus is the Way"), says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Ethiopia

ALARMANTE DETERIORO DE LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Ethiopia

DÉTÉRIORATION ALARMANTE DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Kenya

LE GOUVERNEMENT EFFECTUE DES RAIDS CONTRE LES MÉDIAS ALORS QU'IL EST ÉCLABOUSSÉ PAR DES SCANDALES DE CORRUPTION

Ethiopia

ALARMING DETERIORATION IN PRESS FREEDOM

Nearly four months after Ethiopian authorities launched a crackdown on the country's press following post-electoral street protests, there has been an alarming deterioration in press freedom conditions, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Self-censorship is rife, critical newspapers are shrinking in number and 14 journalists face charges that could bring the death penalty.

Kenya

GOBIERNO ALLANA EMPRESAS DE MEDIOS DE COMUNICACIÓN EN MEDIO DE ESCÁNDALOS POR CORRUPCIÓN

Kenya

GOVERNMENT RAIDS MEDIA OUTLETS AMID CORRUPTION SCANDALS

Kenyan authorities are under fire from press freedom groups for ordering what has been called the biggest crackdown on the country's press since independence, amidst a series of corruption scandals that have put the government on the defensive.

Democratic Republic of Congo

UNE ENQUÊTE DE JED SUSCITE DES MENACES DE MORT

Democratic Republic of Congo

INVESTIGACIÓN DE JED SUSCITA AMENAZAS DE MUERTE

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED INVESTIGATION PROMPTS DEATH THREATS

Staff members of Journaliste en danger (JED) have received death threats following the publication of an article in a Kinshasa newspaper about JED's investigations into the unsolved murder of a journalist in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last November.

Eritrea

CERTAINS MEMBRES DE L'IFEX JETTENT LA LUMIÈRE SUR LA CENSURE EN RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO ET EN ÉRYTHRÉE

Eritrea

MIEMBROS DE IFEX DESTACAN CENSURA EN REPÚBLICA DEMOCRÁTICA DE CONGO Y ERITREA

Eritrea

IFEX MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT CENSORSHIP IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, ERITREA

On International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2005, IFEX members in Africa used the occasion to focus attention on free expression abuses in Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Ethiopia

COALICIÓN AFRICANA INSTA A PONER FIN A OFENSIVA CONTRA PRENSA

Ethiopia

UNE COALITION AFRICAINE DEMANDE INSTAMMENT LA FIN DE LA RÉPRESSION DE LA PRESSE

Ethiopia

AFRICAN COALITION URGES END TO PRESS CRACKDOWN

A coalition of 19 free expression groups, including 10 IFEX members, have called on Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to end a post-election crackdown on media outlets in the country, saying journalists and their families are reportedly being arrested and held hostage.

Ethiopia

GOBIERNO HACE REDADA DE PERIODISTAS Y DIRIGENTES DE LA OPOSICIÓN

Ethiopia

RAFLE DU GOUVERNEMENT CHEZ LES JOURNALISTES ET DIRIGEANTS DE L'OPPOSITION

Ethiopia

GOVERNMENT ROUNDS UP JOURNALISTS, OPPOSITION LEADERS

Ethiopian authorities are hunting down journalists, civil society activists and opposition leaders in a bid to clamp down on government critics following public protests that left more than 40 dead at the hands of security forces, report the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA), the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

PISTOLEROS ASESINAN A COLUMNISTA Y SU ESPOSA

Democratic Republic of Congo

DES INDIVIDUS ARMÉS ABATTENT UN CHRONIQUEUR ET SA FEMME

Democratic Republic of Congo

GUNMEN KILL COLUMNIST AND HIS WIFE

Journaliste en danger (JED), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have called on authorities in the Democratic of Congo (DRC) to thoroughly investigate the murder of a newspaper columnist and his wife who were gunned down in Kinshasa on 3 November 2005.

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 ANIMERA AU SOUDAN DES TABLES RONDES SUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 ENCABEZA MESA REDONDA SOBRE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN SUDÁN

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 LEADS SUDAN ROUNDTABLES ON FREE EXPRESSION

ARTICLE 19 will be facilitating two roundtable meetings in Northern Sudan in December 2005 to help media professionals and civil society organisations produce policy positions on freedom of expression and set priorities for media development.

Eritrea

15 JOURNALISTES TOUJOURS DERRIÈRE LES BARREAUX

Eritrea

QUINCE PERIODISTAS SIGUEN TRAS LAS REJAS

Eritrea

15 JOURNALISTS STILL BEHIND BARS

Four years after Eritrean authorities launched a sweeping crackdown on independent media, Africa's youngest nation has become the continent's leading jailer of journalists and the only sub-Saharan country without any private media, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED OBTIENE ASISTENCIA JURÍDICA PARA PERIODISTAS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED OBTIENT DE L'AIDE JURIDIQUE POUR LES JOURNALISTES

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED SECURES LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR JOURNALISTS

In Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), journalists who face legal harassment because of their reporting will now have the support of legal advocates, thanks to the efforts of Journaliste en danger (JED).

Chad

CRECIENTE OFENSIVA CONTRA PERIODISTAS INDEPENDIENTES

Chad

RÉPRESSION CROISSANTE DES JOURNALISTES INDÉPENDANTS

Chad

GROWING CRACKDOWN ON INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS

Private newspapers in Chad staged a news blackout last week to draw international attention to what they call a growing crackdown on the independent press and the "creeping dictatorship" of President Idriss Déby, following the jailing of four reporters in the past two months.

Uganda

FERMETURE D'UNE STATION DE RADIO INDÉPENDANTE; DES ACCUSATIONS SONT PORTÉES CONTRE UN JOURNALISTE

Uganda

CIERRAN ESTACIÓN DE RADIO INDEPENDIENTE Y ACUSAN A PERIODISTA

Uganda

INDEPENDENT RADIO STATION CLOSED, JOURNALIST CHARGED

Ugandan authorities have closed a local private radio station, K-FM, and charged a talk show host with sedition after he alleged that the recent death of former Sudanese Vice President John Garang was caused by the "incompetence" of the Ugandan government, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Somalia

ARTICLE 19 CONTRIBUE À L'ÉLABORATION D'UN CODE D'ÉTHIQUE DES MÉDIAS EN PRÉVISION DES ÉLECTIONS AU SOMALILAND

Chad

TCHAD : DES JOURNALISTES SONT EMPRISONNÉS

Somalia

ARTICLE 19 AYUDA A REDACTAR CÓDIGO DE MEDIOS PARA ELECCIONES EN SOMALILANDIA

Chad

CHAD: PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Somalia

ARTICLE 19 HELPS DRAFT MEDIA CODE FOR SOMALILAND ELECTIONS

Newspaper and broadcasting editors in Somaliland - the breakaway territory bordering Somalia - have developed a code of conduct for media coverage of the upcoming elections, following a workshop held by ARTICLE 19 on 4-7 July 2005.

Sudan

UN DESTELLO DE ESPERANZA PARA LA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Sudan

LUEUR D'ESPOIR POUR LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Sudan

A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR PRESS FREEDOM

Sudan's President, Omar Hassan Al Bashir, has lifted a state of emergency following the signing of a new constitution, a move greeted with cautious optimism by journalists in the country, says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontiers, RSF).

Ethiopia

LES AUTORITÉS ÉTOUFFENT LA COUVERTURE DE L'AGITATION POST-ÉLECTORALE

Ethiopia

AUTORIDADES AMORDAZAN COBERTURA DE INQUIETUD POSTELECTORAL

Ethiopia

AUTHORITIES STIFLE COVERAGE OF POST-ELECTORAL UNREST

In the wake of a violent crackdown on protesters following the 15 May 2005 parliamentary elections in Ethiopia, an alarming number of journalists are being arrested and charged for reporting on the situation, report IFEX members.

Ethiopia

LA RÉPRESSION DES MÉDIAS AU COEUR DE LA CONTROVERSE ÉLECTORALE

Ethiopia

OFENSIVA CONTRA MEDIOS EN MEDIO DE CONTROVERSIA ELECTORAL

Ethiopia

CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA AMID ELECTION CONTROVERSY

The Ethiopian government is cracking down on the media amid violent post-election clashes between government forces and opposition supporters, report the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA), the International Press Institute (IPI), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Somalia

UNE JOURNALISTE EST ABATTUE

Somalia

BALEAN Y MATAN A REPORTERA

Somalia

REPORTER SHOT DEAD

In Somalia, a country which has had no effective central government since the fall of dictator Siad Barre in 1991, journalists face violence and lawlessness. On 5 June 2005, radio journalist Duniya Muhyadin Nur was shot and killed while covering a protest in Afgoye, 30 km from the capital, Mogadishu, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). She was the second journalist killed in Somalia this year.

Eritrea

¡ACTÚE! ERITREA: FIRME UNA PETICIÓN PARA APOYAR A PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED LANZA CAMPAÑA DE TRANSPARENCIA

Eritrea

AGISSEZ ! ÉRYTHRÉE : SIGNEZ LA PÉTITION D'APPUI AUX JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED LANCE UNE CAMPAGNE EN FAVEUR DE LA TRANSPARENCE

Eritrea

TAKE ACTION! ERITREA: SIGN A PETITION TO SUPPORT JAILED JOURNALISTS

10 May 2005

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED LAUNCHES TRANSPARENCY CAMPAIGN

As citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) prepare to vote in the 30 June 2005 elections, Journaliste en danger (JED) has launched a campaign to promote government transparency and raise awareness of the media's role in countering corruption.

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 FAIT LA PROMOTION DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION DANS LE PROCESSUS DE PAIX

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 PROMUEVE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN PROCESO DE PAZ

Sudan

ARTICLE 19 PROMOTES FREE EXPRESSION IN PEACE PROCESS

As Sudan moves slowly toward peace after 21 years of war, ARTICLE 19 is playing an active role in placing freedom of expression on the redevelopment agenda. The IFEX member has drafted a media policy that will feed into discussions between the Sudanese government and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM), which are taking place as part of a peace agreement signed in January 2005.

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN GROUPE MEMBRE DE L'IFEX REÇOIT DES MENACES

Democratic Republic of Congo

MIEMBRO DE IFEX RECIBE AMENAZAS DE MUERTE

Democratic Republic of Congo

IFEX MEMBER RECEIVES DEATH THREATS

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) has expressed serious concern over the safety of senior members of Journaliste en danger (JED) following death threats directed against the press freedom organisation.

Somalia

UNE JOURNALISTE DE LA BBC EST ABATTUE

Somalia

PERIODISTA DE BBC BALEADA

Somalia

BBC JOURNALIST GUNNED DOWN

In Somalia, a country just emerging from 14 years of violent conflict and lawlessness, journalists still work under the protection of bodyguards. For BBC journalist Kate Peyton, however, that protection was not enough. On 10 February 2005, unidentified gunmen shot and killed her outside a hotel in the capital, Mogadishu, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Sudan

LES MÉDIAS VONT JOUER UN RÔLE ESSENTIEL DANS LE PROCESSUS DE PAIX

Sudan

MEDIOS JUGARÁN PAPEL CRUCIAL EN PROCESO DE PAZ

Sudan

MEDIA TO PLAY CRUCIAL ROLE IN PEACE PROCESS

Media in Sudan will have a crucial choice to make following the signing of a January 2005 peace accord between the Sudanese government and southern rebels, says ARTICLE 19. The IFEX member says media can help to inform the public about the peace agreement and facilitate public participation and reconciliation. Or they can pander to elements within the main opposing camps by fueling tensions and deepening existing divisions.

Kenya

LE KENYA ACCUEILLERA LE CONGRÈS DE L'IIP EN 2005

Kenya

KENIA SERÁ ANFITRIÓN DE CONFERENCIA 2005 DE IPI

Kenya

KENYA TO HOST IPI'S 2005 CONFERENCE

The International Press Institute (IPI) will hold its 2005 World Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, in May, where it will focus attention on what it calls "the great strides" the country is making, including press freedom and freedom of expression.

Central African Republic

LE PARLEMENT DÉPÉNALISE LES DÉLITS DE PRESSE

Central African Republic

PARLAMENTO DESPENALIZA DELITOS DE PRENSA

Central African Republic

PARLIAMENT DECRIMINALISES PRESS OFFENCES

Journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) can no longer be jailed for press offences, following the passing of a new law that decriminalises defamation and the publication of "false news," says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Sudan

UN JOURNALISTE REMPORTE LA PLUME D'OR DE LA LIBERTÉ

Sudan

PERIODISTA GANA PREMIO PLUMA DORADA DE LA LIBERTAD

Sudan

JOURNALIST WINS GOLDEN PEN OF FREEDOM AWARD

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has awarded its 2005 Golden Pen of Freedom to Sudanese journalist Mahjoub Mohamed Salah, calling him a "pioneer and hero for the independent press." The announcement comes amidst a news blackout that is preventing the world from seeing the true story about human rights atrocities in Sudan.

Ethiopia

DES GROUPES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX EXERCENT DES PRESSIONS SUR LE GOUVERNEMENT À PROPOS D'UNE LOI CONTROVERSÉE SUR LA PRESSE

Ethiopia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX CABILDEAN A GOBIERNO SOBRE POLÉMICA LEY DE PRENSA

Ethiopia

IFEX MEMBERS LOBBY GOVERNMENT ON CONTROVERSIAL PRESS LAW

The Ethiopian government has pledged to review controversial sections of a proposed press law, following a meeting with four international free expression watchdogs, reports the International Press Institute (IPI).

Eritrea

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX FONT PRESSION POUR OBTENIR LA LIBÉRATION DE JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS

Eritrea

MIEMBROS DE IFEX PIDEN LIBERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS

Eritrea

IFEX MEMBERS URGE RELEASE OF JAILED JOURNALISTS

Three years after the government of Eritrea launched a crackdown on the country's independent media, 17 journalists remain jailed without charges. Nine IFEX members have joined Amnesty International in calling attention to the journalists' plight by urging President Isaias Afewerki to release them and lift a ban on private newspapers.

Democratic Republic of Congo

NOUVEAUX RECULS POUR LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Democratic Republic of Congo

LIBERTAD DE PRENSA SUFRE REVÉS

Democratic Republic of Congo

PRESS FREEDOM SUFFERS SETBACKS

Press freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suffered major setbacks in the past year, stymied by a climate of violence and insecurity, ongoing government censorship and the use of outdated laws to imprison critical journalists, says a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Ethiopia

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX ÉMETTENT DES RÉSERVES AU SUJET DE LA LOI SUR LA PRESSE

Ethiopia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX PLANTEAN INQUIETUD POR LEY DE PRENSA

Ethiopia

IFEX MEMBERS RAISE CONCERNS OVER PRESS LAW

Nineteen IFEX members have written to the Ethiopian government raising concerns over the latest draft of a proposed press law they say contains serious restrictions on freedom of expression.

Ethiopia

L'IIP ET ARTICLE 19 PUBLIENT DES RAPPORTS SUR L'ÉTHIOPIE

Ethiopia

IPI Y ARTICLE 19 PUBLICAN INFORMES SOBRE ETIOPÍA

Ethiopia

IPI, ARTICLE 19 RELEASE REPORTS ON ETHIOPIA

The latest reports on press freedom in Ethiopia are now available online, courtesy of the International Press Institute (IPI) and ARTICLE 19.

Burundi

UNE STATION DE RADIO ŒUVRE À LA RÉCONCILIATION

Burundi

ESTACIÓN DE RADIO TRABAJA POR RECONCILIACIÓN

Burundi

RADIO STATION WORKS FOR RECONCILIATION

In Burundi, where ethnic conflict in the 1990s led to the killing of at least 300,000 civilians, reconciliation is a long slow process. A few brave radio stations are working to overcome that legacy of violence, including Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), reports Dangerous Assignments, the magazine of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Democratic Republic of Congo

ON AVERTIT LES MÉDIAS ET ON EMPRISONNE LES JOURNALISTES

Democratic Republic of Congo

GOVERNMENT WARNS MEDIA, IMPRISONS JOURNALISTS

The Ministry of Press and Information of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) issued a directive on 12 June 2004 warning news outlets to "respect editorial guidelines to the letter during this period of crisis," reports Journaliste en danger (Journalist in Danger, JED).

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES REBELLES CIBLENT LES JOURNALISTES

Democratic Republic of Congo

REBELDES ATACAN A PERIODISTAS

Democratic Republic of Congo

REBELS TARGET JOURNALISTS

In the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where rebel forces have captured the town of Bukavu, journalists and radio stations have come under fire, report Journaliste en danger and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Ethiopia

IPI MANTIENE VIGILANCIA SOBRE "LIBERTAD DE MEDIOS EN PROCESO DE DETERIORO"

Ethiopia

L'IIP CONTINUE DE SURVEILLER LA « DÉTÉRIORATION DE LA LIBERTÉ DES MÉDIAS »

Ethiopia

IPI KEEPS WATCH OVER "DETERIORATING MEDIA FREEDOM"

Citing "grave concerns about deteriorating media freedom," the International Press Institute (IPI) has added Ethiopia to its Watch List of countries that deserve close monitoring.

Sudan

APAGÓN INFORMATIVO OCULTA LAS ATROCIDADES DE DARFUR

Sudan

L'EMBARGO SUR LES NOUVELLES MASQUE LES ATROCITÉS COMMISES AU DARFOUR

Sudan

NEWS BLACKOUT HIDING DARFUR ATROCITIES

In Sudan, where one of the world's worst human rights crises is unfolding, no news has become bad news. While government-supported Arab militias wage what the United Nations calls a "scorched earth" campaign against an estimated 870,000 people, most of them civilians, Sudanese authorities have imposed a news blackout, report Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Central African Republic

UN AVANT-PROJET DE LOI ABOLIT LA DIFFAMATION PÉNALE

Central African Republic

PROYECTO DE LEY PROPONE ABOLICIÓN DE DIFAMACIÓN PENAL

Central African Republic

DRAFT LAW SCRAPS CRIMINAL DEFAMATION

Authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) have drafted a law that removes criminal defamation provisions from the country's penal code, following calls by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) urging President François Bozizé to uphold his commitment to press freedom.

Uganda

LA COUR SUPRÊME INVALIDE LA LOI RELATIVE AUX FAUSSES NOUVELLES

Uganda

SUPREMA CORTE DEROGA ESTIPULACIÓN DE NOTICIAS FALSAS

Uganda

SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN FALSE NEWS PROVISION

In a case that could have important implications for free expression in other countries, Uganda's Supreme Court has ruled that journalists in the country can no longer be charged with the offence of publishing false news, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Ethiopia

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX APPUIENT L'EFJA CONTRE LE HARCÈLEMENT DU GOUVERNEMENT

Ethiopia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX APOYAN A EFJA CONTRA ACOSO GUBERNAMENTAL

Ethiopia

IFEX MEMBERS SUPPORT EFJA AGAINST GOVERNMENT HARASSMENT

Fourteen IFEX members have signed a joint letter in defence of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA), condemning the Ethiopian government for its campaign to silence the press-freedom organisation.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED DIRIGE DES SÉMINAIRES SUR L'ÉTHIQUE DANS LES MÉDIAS ET LA RESPONSABILITÉ

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED ENCABEZA SEMINARIOS SOBRE ÉTICA Y RESPONSABILIDAD DE MEDIOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED LEADS SEMINARS ON MEDIA ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY

Journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are getting valuable training in media ethics and responsibility, thanks to IFEX member Journaliste en danger (JED).

Democratic Republic of Congo

LA SITUATION DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE S'AMÉLIORE, DIT UN RAPPORT DE JED

Democratic Republic of Congo

LIBERTAD DE PRENSA MEJORA, DICE INFORME DE JED

Democratic Republic of Congo

PRESS FREEDOM IMPROVING, SAYS JED REPORT

Press-freedom conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) improved in 2003, with fewer journalists detained and none imprisoned by year's end, concludes a new report released by Journaliste en danger (JED).

Rwanda

LE PROCÈS DES « MÉDIAS DE LA HAINE » SE TERMINE PAR DES CONDAMNATIONS

Rwanda

JUICIO DE "MEDIOS DEL ODIO" TERMINA EN CONDENAS

Rwanda

"HATE MEDIA" TRIAL ENDS IN CONVICTIONS

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has sentenced three journalists to jail terms of between 35 years and life imprisonment for inciting genocide in 1994, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) writes.

Somalia

Des journalistes somaliens lancent un nouveau site web

Ethiopia

ÉTHIOPIE : LE GOUVERNEMENT SUSPEND UN MEMBRE DE L'IFEX

Somalia

Periodista somalí presenta nuevo sitio Web

Ethiopia

GOBIERNO SUSPENDE A MIEMBRO DE IFEX

Somalia

Somali Journalists Launch New Website

Breaking news about press freedom in Somalia will now be more accessible to the international community, thanks to efforts by the Somali Journalists Network (SJN).

Ethiopia

GOVERNMENT SUSPENDS IFEX MEMBER

The future of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA) is at risk following the Ethiopian government's move to suspend the press freedom group, says EFJA President Kifle Mulat.

Ethiopia

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX ASSISTENT À UNE CONFÉRENCE SUR LA RÉFORME DU DROIT DES MÉDIAS

Ethiopia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX ASISTEN A CONFERENCIA DE REFORMA A LEY DE MEDIOS

Kenya

UN MEMBRE DE L'IFEX EST ARRÊTÉ ET ACCUSÉ DE LA FUITE D'UN DOSSIER

Kenya

MIEMBROS DE IFEX ARRESTADO Y ACUSADO POR FUGA DE NOTICIA

Kenya

IFEX MEMBER ARRESTED & CHARGED FOR STORY LEAK

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) are calling on press-freedom advocates to write letters to the Kenyan government protesting the arrest of three senior newspaper editors in Kenya.

Central African Republic

CPJ SEÑALA CONDICIONES DE LA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Central African Republic

LE CPJ ATTIRE L'ATTENTION SUR LA SITUATION DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Central African Republic

CPJ CALLS ATTENTION TO PRESS FREEDOM CONDITIONS

As the government of the Central African Republic engages in a "National Dialogue" on reconciliation following years of civil war and ethnic division, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has raised concerns over press freedom conditions in the country.

Eritrea

15 PERIODISTAS SIGUEN ENCARCELADOS

Eritrea

QUINZE JOURNALISTES SONT TOUJOURS EMPRISONNÉS

Eritrea

15 JOURNALISTS STILL IMPRISONED

Fifteen journalists are still languishing in Eritrean prisons nearly two years after a crackdown on the independent media, according to Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Association of Eritrean Journalists in Exile (AEJE). The two organisations criticise the "arbitrary" way in which the authorities carry out arrests as well as the secrecy surrounding journalists arrested in Eritrea.

Rwanda

Des rapports de l'IMS evaluent la situation des medias en Angola et au Rwanda

Rwanda

Informes de IMS evalúan situación de los medios de comunicación en Angola y Rwanda

Democratic Republic of Congo

AUMENTAN VIOLACIONES

Sudan

MIEMBROS DE IFEX DENUNCIAN OFENSIVA CONTRA LA PRENSA

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES VIOLATIONS SE MULTIPLIENT

Sudan

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX S'EN PRENNENT À LA RÉPRESSION DE LA PRESSE

Democratic Republic of Congo

VIOLATIONS INCREASING

Despite the signing of a recent peace accord in the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), intimidation of human rights defenders and other activists has been on the increase, concludes a new report by Human Rights Watch. The report provides details of more than 20 cases in which human rights defenders, independent journalists and other citizens have been arrested or harassed in the past three months.

Sudan

IFEX MEMBERS ASSAIL CRACKDOWN ON THE PRESS

A growing number of IFEX members are calling attention to press-freedom violations in Sudan, where a renewed government crackdown on independent newspapers is having what Human Rights Watch calls a "chilling effect on the country's entire news business."

Democratic Republic of Congo

À L'OCCASION DE LA JOURNÉE NATIONALE DE LA PRESSE, JED SOULIGNE L'IMPORTANCE DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED DESTACA IMPORTANCIA DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN DÍA NACIONAL DE PRENSA

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF FREE EXPRESSION ON NATIONAL PRESS DAY

On the occasion of national press day today in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Journaliste en danger (JED) urged the new transitional government to give top priority to freedom of expression and appealed to international donors to provide post-conflict support to DRC media. "Freedom of the press is one of the fundamental human rights without which democracy cannot function. The time has come for the rule of rights and democracy to prevail over the rule of force," said JED in a report released on 22 July.

Sudan

L'IMS PUBLIE UNE ÉTUDE PRÉLIMINAIRE SUR LES MÉDIAS AU SOUDAN

Sudan

IMS RELEASES BASELINE STUDY ON SUDANESE MEDIA

International Media Support (IMS) has recently published the first comprehensive assessment of Sudan's media and its role in the war-torn country's peace process. Written by a team of international media consultants, who worked closely with local media experts from Northern and Southern Sudan, the 87-page report provides base-line information on all types of media in Sudan and on the conditions under which media work. It also contains strategic and detailed suggestions for immediate media development work relevant to peace building in Sudan.

Somalia

Somali Journalists Create Press Freedom Monitoring Network

June 2003

Burundi

PROHÍBEN A ESTACIONES DE RADIO TRANSMITIR DECLARACIONES DE REBELDES

Burundi

DES STATIONS DE RADIO EMPÊCHÉES DE DIFFUSER LES DÉCLARATIONS DE CHEFS REBELLES

Burundi

RADIO STATIONS BARRED FROM AIRING REBEL STATEMENTS

In Burundi, where radio is the country's main source of news, President Pierre Buyoya has ordered all private radio stations to stop airing statements or interviews with two rebel groups still at war with the government, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Ethiopia

LES MEMBRES DE L?IFEX CRITIQUENT LA LOI SUR LA PRESSE

Ethiopia

MIEMBROS DE IFEX CRITICAN LEY DE PRENSA

Ethiopia

IFEX MEMBERS CRITICISE PRESS LAW

A proposed press law and journalists' code of ethics drafted by the Ethiopian government is drawing increasing criticism from the free-expression community and has prompted several IFEX members to demand its revision.

Uganda

REVISTA BUSCA COLABORACIONES PARA EDICIONES SOBRE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN

Uganda

À LA RECHERCHE DE COLLABORATIONS EN VUE D?UN NUMÉRO SUR LA LIBRE EXPRESSION

Uganda

MAGAZINE SEEKS SUBMISSIONS FOR FREE-EXPRESSION ISSUE

The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, a Ugandan non-governmental organisation, is seeking submissions for an upcoming issue of its human rights journal "The Defender," focusing on freedom of expression and human rights.

Sudan

L?IMS DÉPÊCHERA UNE MISSION D?ÉVALUATION DES MÉDIAS

Eritrea

LE CPJ DEMANDE LA REMISE EN LIBERTÉ DES REPORTERS EMPRISONNÉS

Sudan

IMS ENVIARÁ COMISIÓN DE EVALUACIÓN DE MEDIOS

Eritrea

CPJ PIDE LIBERACIÓN DE REPORTEROS ENCARCELADOS

Sudan

IMS TO SEND MEDIA ASSESSMENT MISSION

International Media Support (IMS), the Danish organisation that provides rapid assistance to media in conflict-ridden countries, is seeking feedback on Sudan's media situation before it embarks on a mission to the war-torn country next month.

Eritrea

CPJ CALLS FOR RELEASE OF JAILED REPORTERS

Calling Eritrea the number one jailer of journalists in Africa, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) delivered more than 600 petitions last week to the Eritrean government urging authorities to release journalist Fesshaye Yohannes and 17 other colleagues being secretly held across the country.

Ethiopia

UN PROJET DE LOI « MENACE LA PRESSE LIBRE », DIT L?EFJA

Ethiopia

PROYECTO DE LEY "AMENAZA PRENSA LIBRE", DICE EFJA

Ethiopia

DRAFT LAW "THREATENS FREE PRESS," SAYS EFJA

The Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association (EFJA) says the government of Ethiopia has drafted a press law that "threatens the very existence of Ethiopia's free press," prompting other IFEX members to issue calls of concern in support of the group.

Somalia

DESCENTE CONTRE UN RADIODIFFUSEUR INDÉPENDANT

Somalia

ALLANAN EMISORA INDEPENDIENTE

Somalia

INDEPENDENT BROADCASTER RAIDED

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is drawing attention to press freedom in Somalia this week following news that armed militia acting on the orders of a businessman raided HornAfrik, one of the country's only independent broadcasters, after it aired a news report about a book linking Somali businessmen with terrorism.

Sudan

LA PRESSE INDÉPENDANTE SUBIT DES PRESSIONS CONSTANTES

Sudan

PRENSA INDEPENDIENTE BAJO PRESIÓN CONSTANTE

Sudan

INDEPENDENT PRESS UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE

For independent newspapers in Sudan, a year without censorship would be a good year indeed. This is a country where authorities censored the independent press more than a dozen times in 2002, says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). The most recent case occurred on December 20 when three newspapers were seized after reporting on a rumour about contaminated food.

Uganda

INDÉPENDANT TANDIS QU?ÉCLATENT DES AFFRONTEMENTS ENTRE GOUVERNEMENT ET REBELLES

Uganda

INDEPENDIENTE ALLANADO EN MEDIO DE ENFRENTAMIENTOS ENTRE GOBIERNO Y REBELDES

Uganda

INDEPENDENT DAILY RAIDED AMID GOVERNMENT-REBEL CLASHES

In what Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls a "blatant attack on freedom of the press," Ugandan police raided the offices of one of the country's leading independent newspapers last week, disconnecting its telephone lines and temporarily suspending the newspaper's publication.

Somalia

HUELGA DE PERIODISTAS POR LEY DE MEDIOS "DRACONIANA"

Somalia

DES JOURNALISTES FONT GRÈVE AU SUJET D'UNE LOI « DRACONIENNE » SUR LES MÉDIAS

Somalia

JOURNALISTS STRIKE OVER "DRACONIAN" MEDIA LAW

The president of Somalia's transitional government, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, has refused to sign a controversial media law following a strike by the country's journalists that has left all but one media outlet closed, reports IRIN News.

Sudan

POUR AVOIR CRITIQUÉ LE RETRAIT DU GOUVERNEMENT DES POURPARLERS DE PAIX

Eritrea

AUCUN SIGNE D?ALLÈGEMENT DE LA RÉPRESSION DES MÉDIAS PRIVÉS, EN COURS DEPUIS UN

Sudan

MEDIOS ATACADOS DESPUÉS DE CRITICAR RETIRO DE GOBIERNO DE CONVERSACIONES DE PAZ

Sudan

MEDIA TARGETED AFTER CRITICISING GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWAL FROM PEACE TALKS

Three newspapers and one journalist in Sudan incurred the wrath of the Sudanese government after they publicly chastised it for withdrawing from peace talks in Kenya with rebel forces, report Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Sudan

L?IMS ENTREPREND DE SOUTENIR DES MÉDIAS INDÉPENDANTS

Sudan

IMS INICIA APOYO A MEDIOS INDEPENDIENTES

Sudan

IMS INITIATES SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA

International Media Support (IMS), a Danish organisation that provides rapid assistance to journalist groups in conflict areas, has recently issued a report recommending several initiatives to support freedom of expression in Sudan. Coming on the heels of a 2-11 June mission to the country, the report notes four areas where IMS will undertake initiatives.

Eritrea

DIX JOURNALISTES EMPRISONNÉS ENTAMENT UNE GRÈVE DE LA FAIM

Eritrea

DIEZ PERIODISTAS ENCARCELADOS COMIENZAN HUELGA DE HAMBRE

Eritrea

10 IMPRISONED JOURNALISTS BEGIN HUNGER STRIKE

The Eritrean government is facing harsh criticism from free-expression groups over its treatment of the independent press, following news that 10 jailed journalists began a hunger strike on 31 March to protest their 6 ½ month detention. In a letter smuggled out of Police Station One in the capital Asmara, the 10 journalists say they are refusing food until they are either released or charged and given a fair trial, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says.

Democratic Republic of Congo

ACUSAN A JED DE APOYAR A REBELDES

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED EST ACCUSÉ DE SOUTENIR LES REBELLES

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED ACCUSED OF SUPPORTING REBELS

In a case reminiscent of one last year that forced members of Journalist in Danger (Journaliste en danger, JED) to go into hiding, a government minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is accusing the group of supporting armed rebel movements and of working for

Uganda

UNE LOI ANTITERRORISTE MENACE LES JOURNALISTES

Ethiopia

NEUF DIRECTEURS DE PUBLICATIONS SONT TRAÎNÉS DEVANT LES TRIBUNAUX

Uganda

LEY ANTITERRORISMO AMENAZA A PERIODISTAS

Ethiopia

LLEVAN A NUEVE EDITORES A TRIBUNALES

Uganda

ANTI-TERRORISM LAW THREATENS JOURNALISTS

A new anti-terrorism law in Uganda, under which journalists can be put to death for "promoting terrorism," should be amended to ensure freedom of expression is guaranteed, warn the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Passed by the Ugandan parliament on 20 March, the Anti-Terrorism Bill contains a provision stating that "any person who disseminates material that promotes, trains or mobilises any institution for the purposes of terrorism" can be convicted of terrorism, notes IPI. Those convicted of terrorism are subject to the death penalty.

Ethiopia

9 EDITORS TAKEN TO COURT

In Ethiopia, at least nine newspaper editors have been taken to court in recent weeks for various offences, many of them for alleged defamation of government officials, says the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA). The press freedom group has issued a report documenting the cases of "Tobbia" editors Ato Kebebew Gebyehu Filate and Arega Wolde Kirkos Ayele; "Ith'op" editor-in-chief Wondwossen Gebre Kidan; former "Ethio-Time" editor Shimelis Asfaw; "Madona" publisher and editor Abinet Tamrat; Gezaw Taye Wordofa of "Lamrot"; and "Tinkish" editor Tigist Behailu. Five of the editors are being charged with either defaming various public officials or "disseminating fabricated information that could affect public opinion." All of them except Wordofa were arrested on these charges and have had to secure bail ranging from 1,000 -3,000 birr (approx. US$120-$360) for their release.

Rwanda

UN JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ

Rwanda

REPORTERO ASESINADO

Rwanda

REPORTER MURDERED

In Rwanda, Jean-Marie Hategekimana, a reporter for the government weekly "Imvaho," was murdered on the night of 11 to 12 March in a bar in Kigali, says Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF). Hategekimana had been talking with three individuals including an official from the Ibuka group of genocide survivors' associations when two men burst into the bar and attempted to rob them. They shot all four individuals, who were declared dead on arrival at hospital, says RSF. Hategekimana was buried on 14 March. There is no indication as to whether he was killed because of his work as a journalist.

Ethiopia

LIBERAN AL ÚLTIMO PERIODISTA ENCARCELADO

Ethiopia

LE DERNIER JOURNALISTE EMPRISONNÉ EST RELÂCHÉ

Ethiopia

LAST IMPRISONED JOURNALIST RELEASED

Tamrat Zuma, the last remaining imprisoned journalist in Ethiopia, has been released from jail. Authorities freed him on 4 March after international and local organisations secured the 16,000 Birrs (approximately US $1,915) bail required for his release, a sum the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association called "shockingly large."

Madagascar

MEDIOS AGREDIDOS EN VIOLENCIA POSTELECTORAL

Madagascar

LES MÉDIAS SONT VISÉS DANS LES VIOLENCES POSTÉLECTORALES

Madagascar

MEDIA TARGETED IN POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE

Four radio stations have been attacked in Madagascar following an eruption of violence over disputed presidential election results and the imposition of a state of emergency, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). IFJ, RSF and CJFE are expressing concern that the state of emergency, declared on 22 February by President Didier Ratsiraka, will have a negative impact on press freedom because it gives the president total control over news broadcasts.

Democratic Republic of Congo

KABILA DECEPCIONA EN REVISIÓN DE FIN DE AÑO

Democratic Republic of Congo

KABILA, DES ESPOIRS DÉÇUS, CONCLUT UNE REVUE DE FIN D'ANNÉE

Democratic Republic of Congo

KABILA DISAPPOINTS IN YEAR-END REVIEW

One year after the ascent to power of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) President Joseph Kabila, journalists remain "very threatened and exposed to possible reprisals" from the government and the country's many security forces, declares a joint report issued by Journaliste en danger (JED) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Issued on 26 January, the first anniversary of Kabila's appointment, the report says that, despite the new president's pledge to support human rights and democracy, the DRC still has one of the highest numbers of arrested journalists in Africa. "The president has not respected his commitments and has sent journalists to prison. He remains one of the world's press freedom predators," the report says.

Uganda

ESTUDIANTE DE PERIODISMO MUERTO MIENTRAS CUBRÍA MANIFESTACIÓN

Uganda

UN ÉTUDIANT EN JOURNALISME PERD LA VIE DURANT UNE MANIFESTATION

Uganda

JOURNALISM STUDENT KILLED COVERING DEMONSTRATION

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and Amnesty International are urging authorities in Kampala, Uganda, to conduct an in-depth and impartial investigation into the death of a journalism student who was killed while covering a political demonstration. Jimmy Higenyi, a student at the United Media Consultants and Trainers (UMCAT) Institute, died on 12 January after being shot in the back by police during a demonstration held by the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) in Kampala, reports RSF. It was Higenyi's first student project as a journalism trainee. The demonstration was considered illegal, since Article 269 of the Ugandan Constitution forbids any kind of political party activity. RSF notes that three police officers have been arrested in connection with Higenyi's death, but says those who authorised the officers to fire at the demonstrators should also be arrested.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED PUBLICA INFORME ANUAL

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED PUBLIE SON RAPPORT ANNUEL

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED RELEASES ANNUAL REPORT

Press freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appears to have improved since Joseph Kabila took over the country's reins from his father this year, reports Journaliste en danger (JED).

Somalia

FUERZAS ESTADOUNIDENSES CIERRAN INTERNET

Sudan

TREINTA PERIODISTAS ARRESTADOS

Somalia

LES ÉTATS UNIS FORCENT LA FERMETURE DE L'INTERNET

Sudan

TRENTE JOURNALISTES ARRÊTÉS

Somalia

US FORCES SHUTDOWN OF INTERNET

Internet access in Somalia has virtually grinded to a halt, following the closure of the country's only internet company because of US government suspicions that it has links to terrorists, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Somalia Internet Company (SIC), named by the Bush administration as one of 62 organisations that have financial links with Osama bin Laden, has been forced to close operations, denying Internet access to all Somalis and blocking off vital money transfer services.

Sudan

THIRTY JOURNALISTS ARRESTED

Thirty journalists and other employees of the independent Sudanese newspaper "Al Watan" were detained by authorities last week, following a protest against the government's censoring of a story on corruption, report the Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa (NDIMA) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The journalists were arrested on 22 November after they marched to the offices of the Information Ministry where they protested the government's ban. They were released later that evening, according to RSF sources.

Ethiopia

"NUEVA OLA DE ACOSO CONTRA PERIODISTAS", DICE EFJA

Ethiopia

?UNE NOUVELLE VAGUE DE HARCÈLEMENT CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES?, DIT L?EFJA

Ethiopia

"NEW WAVE OF HARASSMENT AGAINST JOURNALISTS," SAYS EFJA

Eleven journalists in Ethiopia have been ordered to appear before the courts to answer charges laid against them, a development that could signal a "new wave of harassment" against the press, say the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). One of the journalists is EFJA president and "Ethio Time" editor-in-chief Kifle Mulat, who has been summoned to appear before a federal high court on 5 December. It is not known what charge was laid against him.

Rwanda

NUEVA LEY DE PRENSA PROVOCA INQUIETUD

Rwanda

UNE NOUVELLE LOI SUR LA PRESSE RAVIVE L?INQUIÉTUDE

Rwanda

NEW PRESS LAW RAISES CONCERNS

The legacy of the Rwandan media's role in fueling hatred during the 1994 genocide "should not be used as an excuse to reduce opposition voices to silence," concludes Reporters sans frontières (RSF) in a report released last week. RSF recently returned from a visit to Rwanda in which it examined the country's press freedom conditions.

Uganda

PROYECTO DE LEY AMENAZA GRUPOS DE LA SOCIEDAD CIVIL, DICE HRW

Uganda

UN AVANT PROJET DE LOI MENACE LES GROUPES DE LA SOCIÉTÉ CIVILE, DIT HRW

Uganda

DRAFT LAW THREATENS CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, SAYS HRW

A proposed law, which allows for the suspension of non-governmental organizations (NGO) in Uganda that do not conform to any government policy or plan, "threatens the legitimate activities of civil society," warns Human Rights Watch (HRW). The organization has released a briefing report (see www.hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/uganda/), recommending that the Non-Governmental Organizations Amendment Bill be rejected in favour of a new law that would "aim at building a constructive relationships between the state and civil society." ">http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/uganda/">www.hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/uganda/), recommending that the Non-Governmental Organizations Amendment Bill be rejected in favour of a new law that would "aim at building a constructive relationships between the state and civil society."

Eritrea

LA RÉPRESSION S?ACCENTUE CONTRE LES JOURNALISTES

Eritrea

TODOS LOS PERIÓDICOS INDEPENDIENTES CERRADOS AL INTENSIFICARSE OFENSIVA CONTRA M

Eritrea

ALL INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS CLOSED AS CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA ESCALATES

The Eritrean government has intensified a major crackdown on its opponents in recent days, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Eritrean authorities suspended all the country's privately owned and independent newspapers until further notice. Newspapers affected by the suspension order include "Meqaleh", "Setit", "Tiganay", "Zemen", "Wintana", and "Admas", reports CPJ.

Democratic Republic of Congo

PERIODISTA LIBERADO; OTRO SIGUE ENCARCELADO

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN JOURNALISTE EST REMIS EN LIBERTÉ; UN AUTRE EST TOUJOURS INCARCÉRÉ

Democratic Republic of Congo

JOURNALIST RELEASED; ANOTHER STILL IN JAIL

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Journaliste en danger (JED) reports that Innocent Prospère Mbumba, director of the weekly "L'Eveil" in the city of Kananga, was released on 30 August 2001 by National Information Agency (ANR) officials. That same day, Mbumba had been arrested and detained in an underground jail cell after receiving a summons from ANR to report to the agency's offices.

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES ATTAQUES CONTRE LES MÉDIAS SE POURSUIVENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

CONTINÚAN LAS AGRESIONES CONTRA LOS MEDIOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

ATTACKS AGAINST MEDIA CONTINUE

Attacks against the media continue in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has one of the worst press freedom records in Africa and in the world, according to Journaliste en danger (JED). The organisation made the remarks in a press release marking National Press Day in the DRC on 22 July.

Rwanda

PROPONEN PENA DE MUERTE PARA PERIODISTAS QUE INCITAN AL ODIO

Rwanda

QUI INCITENT À LA HAINE

Rwanda

DEATH PENALTY PROPOSED FOR JOURNALISTS WHO INCITE HATRED

Rwanda is considering introducing the death penalty for local journalists who incite racial hatred, according to the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). The country's parliament is currently debating a media bill that would impose a minimum jail term of 20 years or even death for any local journalist found guilty of using the mass media to incite genocide. Any foreign journalist who incites the public to commit genocide would be banned from entering or staying in Rwanda. The bill also proposes that journalists be compelled to reveal their sources.

Ethiopia

ENTRE ACONTECIMIENTOS ENCONTRADOS DE LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Ethiopia

BRUITS CONTRADICTOIRES SUR LA SITUATION DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRES

Ethiopia

FAMINE & CENSORSHIP REPORT RELEASED AMID CONFLICTING PRESS FREEDOM DEVELOPMENTS

A new ARTICLE 19 report evaluates progress on issues related to censorship and famine in Ethiopia over the past decade. The publication, entitled "Ethiopia: Still Starving in Silence?," revisits concerns first raised by the organisation in a 1991 report. The release occurs at a time when both advances and setbacks for freedom of expression have been taking place in Ethiopia.

Democratic Republic of Congo

HASTA AHORA, DE TAL PALO TAL ASTILLA

Democratic Republic of Congo

TEL PÈRE, TEL FILS

Democratic Republic of Congo

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON SO FAR

Reports from Journaliste en danger (JED) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) suggest that there has been little improvement for journalists under new President Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kabila took power following the 16 January assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, whose regime was marked by severe human rights and press freedom violations. The persistence of this pattern of abuse prompted CPJ to write to Kabila on 10 April, expressing deep concern over the "continued deterioration of press freedom conditions."

Burundi

GOBIERNO TERMINA RELATIVA APERTURA A LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Burundi

LE GOUVERNEMENT MET FIN À UNE RELATIVE OUVERTURE À LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Burundi

GOVERNMENT ENDS RELATIVE OPENNESS TO PRESS FREEDOM

Recent arrests and attacks on journalists reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Reporters sans frontières (RSF), and the Network for the Defence of Independent Media in Africa (NDIMA) suggest that the government of war-torn Burundi has started a new crackdown on press freedom.

Uganda

ACOSO A MEDIOS EN PERIODO PREVIO A ELECCIONES

Uganda

LES MÉDIAS SONT HARCELÉS À L?APPROCHE DES ÉLECTIONS

Uganda

MEDIA HARASSED IN ELECTION LEAD-UP

Serious human rights concerns, including the harassment of journalists, lead Human Rights (HRW) to doubt whether Uganda's presidential elections on 12 March will be free and fair. HRW has documented extensive government efforts to manipulate the elections, along with some abuses by the opposition, in a report entitled "Uganda: Not a Level Playing Field". Opinion polls suggest that President Yoweri Museveni is facing his most significant electoral challenge since coming to power in 1986.

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED Y OTRAS ORGANIZACIONES ATACADAS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED ET D?AUTRES SONT ATTAQUÉS

Democratic Republic of Congo

JED AND OTHERS ATTACKED

Only weeks after state media issued threats and called for the murder of staff of the dailies "Le Potentiel" and "Le Phare" in a series of editorials, journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been finding themselves under even greater attack. On 13 December, M'Baya Tshimanga, president of IFEX member organisation Journaliste en danger (JED) and a correspondent for Reporters sans frontières (RSF), was stopped late in the evening at a military checkpoint near his house by a group of armed soldiers. The group took some of his money and tried to force him to exit his car, but Tshimanga managed to flee, reports JED. Also on 13 December, journalists from the daily "Le Phare", including publisher Polydor Muboyayi Mubanga, were pursued in their vehicle by armed men, states JED. After a high-speed chase, the "Le Phare" team managed to escape their pursuers.

Democratic Republic of Congo

SE INTENSIFICAN LOS ATAQUES CONTRA LOS MEDIOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES ATTAQUES S?INTENSIFIENT CONTRE LES MÉDIAS

Democratic Republic of Congo

ATTACKS ON MEDIA INTENSIFY

As human rights abuses intensify in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), freedom of expression has been "crushed," says a new joint report by Journaliste en danger (JED) and ARTICLE 19. "Both the DRC government and the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie (RCD) are guilty of imposing serious and sometimes violent restrictions on freedom of expression and association," asserts ARTICLE 19. These violations include the government's recent seizure of private television and radio outlets and frequent arrests of journalists, and the Goma-based RCD's beating and detention of 14 human rights activists, after they met with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. ARTICLE 19 urges both parties "to take immediate steps to build peace and a culture of respect for human rights in this war shattered country." The report, "République Democratique du Congo, vers une nouvelle strategie pour la liberté d'expression" ("The Democratic Republic of Congo: Towards a New Strategy for Freedom of Expression"), is presently available in French from either ARTICLE 19 (africa@article19.org) or JED (jedkin@ic.cd) and will be available in English in November. ">mailto:africa@article19.org">africa@article19.org) or JED (jedkin@ic.cd) and will be available in English in November.

Democratic Republic of Congo

PERIODISTA LIBERADO, GOBIERNO MONTA OFENSIVA CONTRA ESTACIONES DE RADIO PRIVADA

Democratic Republic of Congo

UN JOURNALISTE EST RELÂCHÉ; LA RÉPRESSION S?ABAT SUR LES STATIONS DE RADIO

Democratic Republic of Congo

JOURNALIST RELEASED, GOVERNMENT CLAMPS DOWN ON PRIVATE RADIO STATIONS

On 22 September, Franck Baku Fuita, Editor-in-Chief of the daily "La Référence Plus", was released from prison, reports Journaliste en Danger (JED). Baku, who spent 22 days in prison, was released "since the motives for the journalist's arrest no longer exist," says JED. Baku was arrested on 1 September, by order of the state prosecutor, for "insulting the magistracy." Numerous press freedom groups had called for the release of Baku and the other journalists being held. Meanwhile, JED reports that Freddy Loseke has been permitted to receive medical treatment. Loseke has been seriously ill while imprisoned and international groups have been lobbying for him to have access to medical attention.

Kenya

PROHIBICIÓN DE TRANSMISIÓN PROPUESTA PODRÍA ELEVAR TENSIONES ÉTNICAS

Ethiopia

HUELGA DE MEDIOS ATRAE LA SOLIDARIDAD INTERNACIONAL

Kenya

DE RADIODIFFUSION POURRAIT EXACERBER LES TENSIONS ETHNIQUE

Ethiopia

UNE GRÈVE DANS LES MÉDIAS ATTIRE LA SOLIDARITÉ INTERNATIONALE

Kenya

PROPOSED BROADCASTING BAN COULD HEIGHTEN ETHNIC TENSIONS

The government’s move to ban private radio stations’ use of indigenous languages amounts to a form of censorship wider in scope than it seems, writes Wacuka Mungai in a Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report. On 31 August, President Daniel arap Moi ordered that the attorney general draft legislation that would prohibit private stations from broadcasting in non-official indigenous languages, reports CPJ. The president justified his actions by stating that broadcasting in these languages on private stations "fostered tribalism and disunity." However, Mungai notes that the president has advocated the use of indigenous languages for the state-run radio. In the same statement alone, the president added that the government-run station's use of non-official indigenous languages is acceptable because it "ensures that national unity is not undermined." While each of Kenya’s 40 ethnic groups speaks a distinct language, only English and Kaswahili are official languages.

Ethiopia

MEDIA STRIKE DRAWS INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

From 11-17 September, free press journalists are protesting the recent hike in the cost of printing by boycotting the publication of newspapers and magazines, reports the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association (EFJA). The EFJA-called strike has been supported both locally by local newspaper distributors and vendors and internationally by groups including the International Press Institute (IPI) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). On 16 August, the two government-owned printing presses increased the cost of printing by more than one-third. The increase resulted from a government-imposed tax on paper. The increase, which has affected the government press and 36 independent publications, "could eventually cause the private press in Ethiopia to fold," says IFJ. According to EFJA, three private papers have already been forced to fold as a direct result of the price rise. "The large tax imposed on paper is tantamount to restricting the flow of information and the dissemination of knowledge,” and jeopardises the very process of democratisation, states EFJA.

Central African Republic

MEDIOS ATACADOS

Central African Republic

LES MÉDIAS DANS LA LIGNE DE MIRE DE L?ÉTAT

Central African Republic

MEDIA UNDER FIRE

Journalists in the Central African Republic are facing a trend of deteriorating press freedom standards, states the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on the occasion of the country's 40th anniversary of its independence. The trend is characterised by prosecution of journalists who report on "sensitive matters relating to the presidency." True to threats made by President Ange Felix Patasse late last year, several journalists have since been arrested and/or illegally detained on a number of allegations, including "insulting" or "defaming" the head of state, and "incitement to hatred," report CPJ and Reporters sans frontières (RSF).

Ethiopia

REVISIÓN DE FIP ENCUENTRA QUE MUCHOS PERIODISTAS SIGUEN ASEDIADOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

LIBERTAD DE PRENSA RESTRINGIDA EN 1999

Democratic Republic of Congo

LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE EST ENTRAVÉE

Democratic Republic of Congo

PRESS FREEDOM CURTAILED IN 1999

Press freedom was curtailed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1999, says the recently released report by Journaliste en Danger (JED), "1999: Report on the state of press freedom in the Democratic Republic of Congo." The report, launched by JED on 10 December, the 51st anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, cites that 53 journalists have been detained in the DRC this year alone. According to the report, "20 journalists were detained for long periods of time and 30 others spent less than 48 hours behind bars for real or alleged press offences in 1999." JED reports that eight of these journalists "were victims of brutal or inhumane treatment" and another eight "suffered threats or harassment in their work."

Burundi

LES JOURNALISTES SONT VISÉS DANS UN CLIMAT DE VIOLENCE CROISSANTE

Burundi

PERIODISTAS SE CONVIERTEN EN BLANCOS AL AUMENTAR VIOLENCIA

Burundi

JOURNALISTS TARGETED AS VIOLENCE INCREASES

As violence continues to escalate in Burundi, the Burundian government instructed its army to “treat journalists as legitimate military targets,” the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports. In a state radio broadcast to army commanders on 9 September, Defense Minister Colonel Alfred Nkurunziza told the army that it should consider journalists as enemies and thus, “legitimate targets, if they entered the Bujumbura Rurale province near the capital, where the army is fighting ethnic Hutu rebels.” According to Reporters san frontières (RSF), journalists were prevented from reporting on

Djibouti

DOS PERIODISTAS RECIBEN SEVERAS SENTENCIAS DE CÁRCEL

Democratic Republic of Congo

MEDIOS ATACADOS

Democratic Republic of Congo

LES MÉDIAS SONT ATTAQUÉS

Democratic Republic of Congo

MEDIA ASSAULTED

In the latest threat to free expression in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two journalists were flogged, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). On 26 July, Jean Marie Kashila, a journalist with the Congolese Press Agency (Agence congolaise de presse, ACP), and Bienvenu Tshiela of Kasaï Horizon radio-télévision (KHRT) were flogged by police officers in the city of Mbuji-Mayi, in Kasaï province. The police officers allegedly acted on orders from Kalala Kaniki, the province's vice-governor, who accused the journalists of having criticised him in a number of articles and reports. Last year, RSF says, Kaniki ordered the flogging of another journalist, Robert Ndaye Tshisense.

Kenya

LA VIOLENCE POST-ÉLECTORALE ATTRIBUABLE À L'ABSENCE D'INFORMATION

Kenya

POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE DUE TO LACK OF INFORMATION

Violence subsequent to the elections in Kenya early this year was due in part to a lack of access to information and the suppression of free expression, says ARTICLE 19 in "Kenya: Post-election political violence." Violence which took place in the Rift Valley in early 1998 following the Presidential elections on 29 December 1997 "caused a number of deaths and injuries, as well as displacing thousands and causing community rifts which may never heal," says ARTICLE 19. The Ethnic Clashes Inquiry, which started its investigations in July, is to present its results in December.

Ethiopia

LE PEN INTERNATIONAL SOULIGNE LA JOURNÉE DE L?ÉCRIVAIN EN PRISON

Ethiopia

INTERNATIONAL PEN MARKS DAY OF IMPRISONED WRITER

To mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer on 15 November 1998, International PEN featured the case of three journalists jailed in Ethiopia, reports the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC). During a crackdown on journalists and political activists in October 1997 in Oromo, Moti Biyya (his pen name), Garuma Bekele and Tesfaye Deressa were arrested, most likely due to their involvement with the newspaper "Urji" and their activism as members of the Ethiopian Human Rights League. The three men were initially held in solitary confinement for ten months, but, although they may now receive family visitors, they remain detained without charge. International PEN "urges the Ethiopian authorities to order their immediate and unconditional release if they are not promptly charged with a clearly recognizable criminal offence and brought to court." In the meantime the organisation seeks assurance that they are humanely treated whilst in detention.

Ethiopia

PEN INTERNACIONAL CELEBRA DÍA DEL ESCRITOR ENCARCELADO