Cont. issues in Africa

In light of the topic of journalist abuse, I found a sight that reports on stories of abuse of journalist in Africa today.


http://cpj.org/africa/

Story one:
In Ethiopia, managing editor, Aregaqi, of the Reporter was releaed from the hospital when three men attacked him as he left his office by striking him in the head repeatedly with a stone until he fell unconscious. This attack was directed to anonymous threats received in connection of investiagtive reports accusing people close to Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Sheikh Mohammed Hussein al-Amoudi had mismanaged his investments.

Story two:"Editor-in-Chief Tsion Girima of the private weekly Enbilta is being held in Kality prison, outside the capital, Addis Ababa, pending sentencing on Tuesday"

Girima misspelled a judges name in her paper, and instead of running a correction, she spelled the name correctly in her next edition, now Girima will serve up to one year in prison for that mistake.




Story three: “Chief” Ebrima Manneh was arrested and brought to prison...
"Though he was never charged with a crime, Chief’s arrest stemmed from his decision to republish a BBC story critical of President Yahya Jammeh’s democratic credentials on the eve of an African Union summit in Banjul. Editors at our pro-government paper overruled Chief’s decision, pulling the printed copies that carried the story and withholding them from distribution."

A reporter from the paper even went undercover to investigate Manneh's arrest. This reporter said many of the sources that he went to were afraid to speak about the disappearance, for they may be the next victim.

The reporter testified on the Chief's behave, and was relocated from his dying father to help the chief.

But the chief was never released, leaving behind wedding arrangements and bright future.



This is something to take into consideration, being a journalist in the USA, I feel secure that my government protects to a degree my freedom of speech. In Africa, the government silences it.