News – safety of journalists in africa

News on the safety of journalist in Africa

Journalists Covering the Protest Movement in Nigeria were Beaten, Harassed & Fined by Law Enforcement

Posted by Jovial rantaoNovember 12, 2021Comments:

Photojournalist Eti-Inyene Godwin Akpan reported on the 2020 protests against police violence in Nigeria. Cedit: Eti-Inyene Godwin Akpan via CP By Jonathan Rozen The photos showed blood-soaked concrete, a gashed open thigh, and an injured protester grimacing in pain on the ground. Taken by photojournalist Eti-Inyene Godwin Akpan on October 20, 2020, the images tell the story of Nigerian forces’ mass shooting of anti-police brutality protesters at Lagos’ Lekki Toll Gate, an incident the government continues to deny. One year after Akpan published the photographs on social media, he planned…

Special edition of "Africa Brief" to celebrate access to information

Posted by Jovial rantaoOctober 18, 2021Comments:

To mark International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), IFEX Africa published a Special Edition of Africa Brief. The 2021 IDUAI is only the second IDUAI since it was formally proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2019. That proclamation was no accident — it was the culmination of years of advocacy, led by IFEX members in Africa and their partners. In the episode, Nazarene Njeru and Reyhana Masters interview special guests Gilbert Sendguwa (Africa Freedom Information Centre) & Lamin Jahateh (Gambia…

UNESCO Director-General welcomes recognition of crucial role of journalists by Nobel Peace Prize

Posted by Jovial rantaoOctober 10, 2021Comments:

UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, has praised historic the decision by the Nobel Committee to designate two journalists, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, as the 2021 laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize. It is the first time the prize has been awarded to journalists in 86 years. In a statement, Azoulay, said: “In awarding this Prize, the Nobel Committee have powerfully stated their conviction that freedom of expression and access to information are the very foundation of democracy and peace. These ideals fully echo UNESCO’s…

Journalist in detention over publication on killings in Nigeria

Posted by Jovial rantaoNovember 15, 2021Comments:

A journalist and communications officer of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) Luka Biniyat is being held by the Kaduna State Police Command over a publication about killings in the state. The ICIR learnt that Biniyat was arrested by the Kaduna State Command Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and has been detained for more than seven days. The publication titled, “In Nigeria, Police Decry Massacres as ‘Wicked’ but Make No Arrests,” read in part that some lawmakers said they were outraged by the Kaduna government’s refusal to enforce the law. “The government of Kaduna state is using Samuel Aruwan, a Christian,…

Al Jazeera's Sudan bureau chief arrested after protests

Posted by Jovial rantaoNovember 14, 2021Comments:

Sudanese security forces raided the home of Al Jazeera’s Khartoum bureau chief, El Musalmi El Kabbashi, and arrested him, the Qatar-based news channel said, a day after street protests across Sudan against a military takeover. Security forces tried to disperse the protests https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sudanese-gather-mass-protests-against-coup-amid-tight-security-2021-11-13 in the capital Khartoum and other cities using tear gas and gunfire. The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, which is aligned with the protest movement, said the death toll for demonstrators killed on Saturday had risen to six. Pro-democracy groups led by neighbourhood resistance committees are organising a campaign of civil disobedience and protests against the Oct.…

Congo journalist granted provisional release after terrorism probe dropped

Posted by Jovial rantaoOctober 12, 2021Comments:

A journalist arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month for possessing a video showing the assassination of two U.N. sanctions monitors in 2017 has been granted provisional release pending further investigation, his lawyer said. Sosthene Kambidi, who works for Congolese news site Actualite.cd and at times with international news agencies, was arrested https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rights-groups-demand-release-congo-journalist-over-terrorism-charges-2021-09-24 three weeks ago and told he was being investigated for criminal conspiracy, rebellion and terrorism. Prosecutors did not elaborate further. Kambidi contributed to an investigation https://www.reuters.com/article/cnews-us-congo-violence-un-idCAKBN1EE0CT-OCATP by Radio France Internationale and Reuters in December 2017 which revealed state security agents had helped plan a trip…