Katy Migiro

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to release journalist Stéphane Shisso, who was arrested in January after reporting on erosion caused by mining in Kolwezi, and to ensure the safety of his colleague Guelord Shamba, who is in hiding. “It is a grave injustice that DRC authorities have detained journalist Stéphane Shisso for more than four months, without bringing him before a court or disclosing charges against him,” said CPJ Africa Director @angelaquintal. “Authorities must guarantee Guelord Shamba's safety so that he can return home and reassure family and colleagues who have not heard from him since January.” Kolwezi is a global center for mining cobalt, a mineral used in cell phones and electric car batteries. Rights groups say people are being forcibly evicted to make way for the giant mines. Read more: cpj.org/?p=587699

Uganda’s Protection of Sovereignty Bill, which parliament approved on Tuesday, risks imposing Russian-style state control on many journalists. Those working with international outlets or receiving foreign funding would be designated “agents of foreigners” who could face lengthy prison terms for a broad swathe of activities. Read more: cpj.org/?p=583466

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls for an independent and credible investigation into the death of Rwandan YouTube commentator Aimable Karasira Uzaramba of an alleged overdose on Wednesday — the day of his release after five years in prison. “Aimable Karasira Uzaramba’s death in state custody on the day he was expected to finally walk free is devastating,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Given past reports that Karasira was tortured behind bars and his unjust, five-year detention, Rwandan authorities clearly have questions to answer.” Karasira was arrested in 2021, and in September 2025 he was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of inciting divisions. An ethnic Tutsi who lost relatives in the genocide, Karasira criticized the government and official narratives of the genocide on his YouTube channel and others. Read more: cpj.org/?p=587009

#Uganda: @pressfreedom is relieved that @AlternativeUga journalist Arnold Anthony Mukose was finally released on bail on Tuesday, after being snatched off the street by security operatives on March 29 and detained in Luziira Maximum Security Prison for more than five weeks. Mukose is being prosecuted under Uganda Communications Commission (@UCC_Official) licensing regulations with broadcasting “fake news” and “false signals” that First Lady Janet Museveni was dead, amid speculation over her absence from public view. Alternative Digitalk regards the charges as retaliatory for the outlet’s coverage of and involvement in a petition which struck down Uganda’s cybercrime and criminal defamation laws. Mukose was seized immediately after appearing on a radio show celebrating his court victory. Read more: cpj.org/data/people/ar…

Join our team! CPJ is #hiring a remote communications associate to develop and implement communications strategies to maximize the impact of CPJ’s work in defense of press freedom worldwide. 🗓️ Deadline is May 18, 2026. Apply today: cpjorg.bamboohr.com/careers/100?so…

🎧 NOUVEAU PODCAST: Le CPJ lance un nouveau podcast sur le journaliste et auteur sénégalais René Capain Bassène — un homme innocent qui purge une peine de prison à perpétuité pour meurtre. Ce podcast en six épisodes documente l’un des cas de liberté de la presse les plus emblématiques d’Afrique de l’Ouest — à travers les voix des personnes directement impliquées, avec des détails inédits sur le procès de Bassène, y compris des témoignages de torture et d’aveux forcés qui remettent sérieusement en question le verdict. 🔉 Écoutez-le ici à partir du 3 mai : linktr.ee/renecapainbass…

Ugandan journalists face up to 20 years in jail under draconian foreign agents bill that would also limit foreign media funding to $100,000 and subject newsrooms to intrusive state oversight. Read more: cpj.org/?p=583466

For months, Zambian lawyer @JosiahKalala has been working late into the night on a case he believes could define the future of press freedom in the country: preparing arguments, reviewing legal provisions in the cybercrime laws, and consulting colleagues. “The laws grant wide powers of surveillance, interception, and data access without sufficiently robust judicial oversight,” said Kalala, head of @CofZambia. “If left unchecked, they have the potential to undermine fundamental freedoms.” With a @PowerFMZambia journalist tasered at a @UPNDZM event this month, radio @99Mpongwe raided, and elections challenging President Hakainde Hichilema due in August, Zambian newsroom leaders spoke to CPJ about rising intimidation, harassment, and self-censorship. Read more: cpj.org/?p=582664

The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Tanzanian authorities to lift the 90-day suspension of @Jambotv_ over its YouTube and Instagram posts and allow the outlet to resume operations without delay. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority said the digital broadcaster had published “unverified” and “misleading” content about the findings of a commission of inquiry investigating October’s post-election crackdown, expected on April 24. “The suspension of Jambo TV’s broadcasting license is a disproportionate and heavy-handed measure that serves only to stifle public debate on matters of critical national importance,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. Read more: cpj.org/?p=579860

“The abolition of criminal defamation marks a historic victory for press freedom in Uganda and brings the country closer to international human rights standards,” said CPJ Africa Director @angelaquintal. “While we welcome this progress, authorities must ensure that defamation is not re-criminalized through the legislative back door. Ugandan authorities must respect the spirit of this ruling and abandon any measures that seek to jail Ugandans for the free flow of ideas.” Read more: cpj.org/?p=575459

CPJ welcomes Friday’s court ruling striking down sections of Kenya's 2018 cybercrime law as a major victory for freedom of expression. However, significant reforms are still needed — particularly to provisions providing for lengthy prison terms for the ill-defined offense of ‘cyber harassment’ and sections that threaten citizens’ privacy rights. Read more: cpj.org/?p=567223

Cameroon: "Their gear is still with police whose modus operandi is to pry into their equipment and start fabricating charges," said lawyer Joseph Awah Fru, detained with @AP's Arnold Ndal (from left), Angel Ngwe, @AkuaNalova & freelancer @Randyjoesaah (2nd from right). The AP team were reporting outside a facility for African migrants secretly deported from the US. “Judicial police must immediately return the journalists’ confiscated equipment and refrain from tampering with their devices," said CPJ's @angelaquintal. Read more: see link in comments

On Friday, @LaNovaBurundi's Sandra Muhoza is expected in court to appeal her four-year sentence for comments she made in a journalists’ WhatsApp group. CPJ calls on Burundian authorities to free Muhoza, whose earlier trial and conviction has already been proven unsound by an appeal court. #JournalismIsNotACrime Read more: cpj.org/data/people/sa…

Predator spyware detected in Angola for the first time 🤯

Ethiopia revokes 3 @Reuters journalists’ accreditation following investigative report alleging Ethiopia is secretly training RSF forces in Sudan. cpj.org/?p=562082

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate @mariaressa highlights the important role that journalists play in documenting democratic backsliding. In Maria’s case, her critical reporting was key in the prosecution of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with his state-sponsored “war on drugs.” Here Ressa explains how “radical collaboration” can spur a movement as journalists “battle for facts.” 👇

“I am actually shaken,” Beukes of @TheWhistleNam told CPJ. “They took photos of my car, threatened to arrest me for simply asking the president a question." @TracyTafirenyi1 of @TheNamibian said she fears leaving home in the face of online abuse after minister's xenophobic comment. cpj.org/2026/02/namibi…

2 #DRC journalists detained for war reporting in restive east cpj.org/2026/01/2-drc-… CPJ urges authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to immediately release Thomson Unji Batangalwa, who was detained on January 22 in the eastern city of Baraka, the latest journalist to be harassed for reporting on the fluid security situation.

SEVENTEEN YEARS ago today, the decapitated body of #Kenya-n journalist Francis Nyaruri was found in a forest, his hands tied behind his back. His family are still waiting for justice. A taxi driver said he drove Nyaruri to the forest, along with police officers and ‘sungusungu’ gangsters, who killed him there. Before he died, Nyaruri had reported on police corruption and spoke on the radio about his investigation, implicating a police officer. 📷: CPJ/Courtesy Josephine Kwamboka

Threats, exile, censorship: #DRC journalists besieged in year of rebel rule In interviews, 20 journalists told CPJ that violence, threats, detention, and censorship had worsened since the rebel advance began a year ago, forcing many to flee within the #DRC/#RDC and abroad. Scott Mayemba Bila reports: cpj.org/2026/01/threat… @jedkinshasa @OlpaRdc @MONUSCO