CPJ 2005 Report includes special focus on 10 African countries

CPJ News Release

February 13, 2006

NEW YORK – Self-censorship in Rwanda, sophisticated repression in Cameroon, and a vast, wide-reaching crackdown on the media in Ethiopia are among the trends documented in the Africa section of the Committee to Protect Journalists’ annual press freedom survey Attacks on the Press.

CPJ Africa program staff report that civil conflict continued to threaten press freedom in Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia, while a regime of repressive laws and regulations has kept a stranglehold on the independent press in Zimbabwe.

The murder rate for journalists in sub-Saharan Africa doubled in 2005; four were killed for their work in Somalia, Sierra Leone and DRC, compared to two the previous year.

The number of journalists behind bars jumped sharply in 2005, spurred by Ethiopia, where over a dozen editors and publishers have been jailed following anti-government protests in November. In addition, journalists across the continent suffer daily harassment, violent attack, and threats. These attacks continue despite the apparent spread of democracy, with over a dozen elections held in 2005.

In an analysis focusing on Zimbabwe and Burundi, CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator Julia Crawford looks at the links between democracy and a free media.

Country summaries on CAMEROON, CHAD, DRC, ETHIOPIA, GAMBIA, IVORY COAST, RWANDA, SOMALIA, TOGO, and ZIMBABWE are also available online. See also snapshots of attacks on press freedom in 24 other African nations.

For information on press freedom conditions in other regions, click here.

CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.

Contact: Julia Crawford or Alexis Arieff
e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: (212) 465-1004 x112 or x117