Highlighting government officials’ increasing displeasure with online newspapers and social media networks in Africa, the Zambian government has blocked access to the Zambian Watchdog newspaper, accusing it of promoting hate speech.
The paper has now resorted to posting stories on its Facebook page in order for Zambian readers to access the content of the newspaper, as they cannot access it through…
Mugabe Hunts for Internet Mole ‘Baba Jukwa’ revealing his Secrets
President Robert Mugabe has reportedly offered a $300,000 reward to anyone who can unmask an anonymous whistleblower behind a string of leaks about alleged Zimbabwean government assassination plots, corruption and plans to rig this month’s election.
The well-informed mole, who calls himself “Baba Jukwa” and appears to be operating from within the…
Following a wave of online hate speech before and after the Kenyan general elections this March, the government agency whose job is to investigate offences has been accused of inaction.
Despite hundreds of cases where offensive material has been posted on social media sites like Facebook, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, NCIC, has only launched six formal investigations under a…
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…
Reports of Content Screening &Take Down in Rwanda
Reports of Content Screening and Take Down Requests in Rwanda
According the 2011 Rwanda Freedom on the Net Report, online news websites, Umusingi and Umurabyo, have been contacted by authorities to delete content related to local political affairs and ethnic relations. Besides, there are media reports that the Media High Council has an online monitoring department tasked…
The search for 14 bloggers suspected of posting hate messages on the Internet has started. Six of them had been identified and were being investigated, a media monitoring committee revealed on Wednesday.
The rest use pseudonyms and the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) has been asked to unearth their identities, according to the National Steering Committee on Media Monitoring.
“We were able…
www.mashada.com shut down by Kenya Authorities
Ahead of the March 2013 Presidential elections, the Communications Commission of Kenya blocked access to the web portal Mashada, accusing it of failing to moderate hate speech.…
March 2013: Ethiopia has been accused of blocking the Arabic and English language websites of Al Jazeera, after the network aired programmes on protests.…
By CPJ
In June 2011, Jean Bosco Gasasira, the exiled editor of Umuvugizi, was sentenced to two and half years in jail for civil disobedience and insulting President Paul Kagame in the online version of his newspaper. In April of the previous year, the print publication of the same newspaper had been suspended for six months for allegedly inciting violence and criticizing the head of…