Zimbabwean journalists assaulted, harassed, and blocked from covering events

Zimbabwean authorities and ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) should investigate the assaults and harassment of journalists covering events of public interest in the past week, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. “The increasing cases of violence against journalists in Zimbabwe is becoming a serious source of concern and must be strongly condemned,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, in New York. “Press freedom violations and the rising impunity for crimes against journalists should not be tolerated as the country prepares for a general election in 2023.” Between Thursday, October…Read more

Bangladesh authorities arrest siblings of UK-based journalists

Bangladesh authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Nur Alam Chowdhury Pervez and Abdul Muktadir Manu and cease harassing family members of journalists who report from abroad, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On September 13, officers with the detective branch of the Bangladesh police, in the Noakhali town of the southeast Chittagong division, arrested Nur Alam Chowdhury Pervez, brother of Shamsul Alam Liton, editor of the privately owned United Kingdom-based Weekly Surma newspaper, according to news reports, a report by The Weekly Surma, a Twitter thread by Bangladeshi editor Tasneem Khalil, and a person familiar with the…Read more

Sierra Leonean authorities fine, suspend licenses of Star broadcasters

Authorities in Sierra Leone should ensure that Star television and radio stations can broadcast news without undue interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  In mid-August, Sierra Leone’s broadcast media regulator, National Telecommunications Commission, suspended the licenses of privately owned broadcasters Star Radio and Star TV for over two weeks and denied workers access to the broadcasters’ transmitters in Brookfields, a neighborhood in western Freetown, the capital, according to an August 19 commission statement and Philip Neville, the broadcasters’ founder who holds 70% ownership of shares and handles the finances. Neville, who spoke with…Read more

Four Zimbabwean journalists beaten, forced to delete footage by ruling party supporters

 Zimbabwean authorities should investigate the brutal assault of four journalists working for private media outlets, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure that party supporters do not attack members of the press covering political rallies, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  The reporters assaulted are: Chelsea Mashayaombe, a reporter for online newspaper Zimbabwe DailyPellagia Mpurwa, a reporter for online magazine Technomag Tongai Mwenje, managing editor of news website SportBriefToneo Rutsito, editor of Technomag Around 12:30 p.m. on August 25, the journalists were injured after they filmed a convoy of 20 vehicles of the…Read more

Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo detained over defamation, cyberattack complaint

Nigerian authorities should drop all investigations into publisher Agba Jalingo, compensate him for his previous unlawful detention, and stop harassing the journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On August 19, a group of about 15 police officers arrested Jalingo, publisher of the privately owned news website CrossRiverWatch, at his home in Ogudu, in Lagos state, according to Jalingo, who spoke with CPJ via messaging app, CrossRiverWatch editor Ugbal Jonathan, who spoke with CPJ by phone, and a statement by the International Press Centre, a local press group. Officers detained Jalingo at a police…Read more

Zimbabwe police charge 2 journalists with publishing false information

Zimbabwean authorities should immediately drop all charges against journalists Wisdom Mdzungairi and Desmond Chingarande and allow them to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Tuesday, August 2, police summoned Mdzungairi, editor-in-chief of the privately owned media company Alpha Media Holdings, and Chingarande, a senior reporter with the company, to appear for questioning the following day, the journalists told CPJ by phone. On Wednesday morning, Mdzungairi and Chingarande appeared at the Harare Central Police Station where police held them for about three hours and charged them with transmitting “false data…Read more

Indian journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh arrested following 9-hour home raid

Indian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh, cease harassing him in retaliation for his work, and allow him to report freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday. On Sunday, July 17, police in the Ramgarh district of eastern Jharkhand state arrested Singh, a freelance journalist, following a nine-hour raid on his home, according to multiple news reports and Singh’s wife, Ipsa Shatakshi, who spoke to CPJ by phone. During the raid, police seized two mobile phones, two laptops, a hard drive, a notebook, and some personal items, according to those…Read more

Botswana journalist Tshepo Sethibe criminally charged over ‘alarming publications’

Botswana authorities should immediately drop the criminal charge against Moeladilotlhoko News Boiler director Tshepo Sethibe, return devices seized from the outlet, and refrain from harassing the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.  On July 13, about 25 law enforcement officers arrested Sethibe at his home in the town of Mogoditshane, northwest of the capital Gaborone, and charged him under a law barring “alarming publications,” according to news reports, a Facebook post by his outlet, and the journalist and his lawyer, Obonetse Jonas, both of whom spoke with CPJ via messaging app.  After arresting Sethibe,…Read more

Zimbabwean journalist threatened with assault after corruption reporting

 Zimbabwean police must immediately and thoroughly investigate threats made to journalist Simbarashe Sithole in retaliation for his corruption reporting and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.  On June 4, Zimbabwean Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Kazembe Kazembe sent a text message to Sithole threatening legal action after the freelance journalist published two articles about alleged corruption concerning Kazembe’s constituency, according to Sithole, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app, screenshots of the text message reviewed by CPJ, and a report by news website Bulawayo 24 News. Sithole’s articles were published by Bulawayo…Read more

Sierra Leone journalist Sorie Saio Sesay detained for 6 days

Authorities in Sierra Leone should drop their investigation into journalist Sorie Saio Sesay, return his mobile phone, and allow him to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On May 26, police officers in the northwestern town of Kamakwie arrested Sesay, a reporter with the privately owned Okentuhun Radio FM broadcaster’s “Latest Happening” news program, seized his phone, and detained him, according to news reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview. Authorities transferred Sesay to the police headquarters in Freetown, the capital, and released him on bail on…Read more