Today, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) launches The State of Internet Freedoms in East Africa research report which is an Investigation into the policies and practices defining internet freedom in East Africa.
Thought leaders in the East African ICT industry have gathered in Kampala, Uganda for the launch of this pivotal report.
The report presents…
Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has approved a new media law which critics have condemned as an attack on press freedom.
The law forbids reporting on matters which could undermine national security, public order or the economy.
It marked a “black day for freedom of information” in Burundi, campaign group Reporters Without Borders said.
Mr Nkurunziza is a former rebel leader who was elected…
Burundi – Media regulator suspends comments on press group’s website
Reporters Without Borders is disturbed to learn that the National Communication Council (CNC), Burundi’s media regulator, has ordered the Iwacu press group to prevent visitors to its website (www.iwacu-burundi.org) from posting comments for the next 30 days.
“This is unprecedented,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Until now, the CNC had never taken a…
On September 18, 2011, a group of gunmen attacked the village of Gatumba, near the country’s capital Bujumbura where they killed 30 people. The following day, the CNC imposed a 30 day total media blackout on any information about the incident. Communication Minister Concilie Nibigira justified the one-month ban on the grounds of “guaranteeing peace and security” and ensuring “the…
Jean Claude Kavumbagu, the editor of online newspaper Net Press, was detained for 10 months from July 2010 to May 2011 as a result of an article which criticised Burundi’s security forces and their ability and readiness to defend the country against possible terrorist attacks. He was charged with treason and defamation under the 2005 press law. Throughout his detention,…
The Iwacu a print and online publication allows readers to post comments to a forum after reading any press article. As part of the website’s user conditions, insults, defamation, racism and anti-Semitism speech are prohibited. Any posts infringing intellectual property rights are also not allowed. The website administrators reserve the right to delete infringing posts. Commentators are also required to…
The ISP CBINET provides child online safety protection services against adult content, including pornography. The “Parental control” service is available upon request. As written on its official web site, the aim of the protection is to avoid harming children. This is done by blocking adult content for subscribers who expresses the need to have those tools. In most internet cafés,…