Ethiopian government ‘blocking VOA website’

March 30th, 2010

The Ethiopian government has been accused of blocking the website of US broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) as a row over press intimidation continues to escalate in the Horn of Africa. Residents of the capital Addis Ababa have been unable to access the site since early on Sunday, reports Reuters. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s administration has yet to comment on the development. Earlier this month, the government accused the VOA radio service of broadcasting propaganda and revealed that it was testing its ability to jam transmissions. Meles even compared the station to Radio Mille Collines, whose broadcasts were blamed for sparking the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Human Rights Watch facing Rwanda deportation

March 19th, 2010

The Rwandan director of Human Rights Watch faces deportation from the central African state after her work permit was revoked. Immigration officials claim to have found “anomalies” in Carina Tertsakian’s accreditation documents at a time when relations between president Paul Kagame and the New York-based organisation are strained. Innocent Niyonsenga, communications manager at the Immigration Department, explained that Tertsakian must secure a new visa or measures would be taken to remove her from Rwanda. Human Rights Watch claimed in February that opposition activists are facing increasing threats and harassment ahead of Rwanda’s presidential election in August. President Paul Kagame denied this accusation on Tuesday (16 March) saying that he had a problem with the human rights community commenting on issues from outside the country.

Rwanda journalist reported missing

March 15th, 2010

A prominent independent Rwandan reporter is missing amid concerns that security forces are cracking down on dissenters. The Ugandan news agency 256news.com has expressed concern that its correspondent Godwin Agaba has been arrested or disappeared on president Paul Kagame’s orders.  The Rwandan police have denied that he is being held. However, Kagame said earlier this month that he had information on journalists working with those opposed to him.

Rwandan journalists “silenced” by defamation charge

March 2nd, 2010

Three Rwandan journalists have been found guilty of defaming two government ministers, in a move that has described by the Committee to Protect Journalists as an effort to silence critical journalism in the country. Former editor Charles Kabonero, acting editor-in-chief Didas Gasana, and reporter Richard Kayigamba of the private weekly newspaper Umuseso were sentenced to prison terms under Rwanda’s 2009 Media Law for a story highlighting an extramarital affair between the mayor of Kigali, Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, and Cabinet Affairs Minister Protais Musoni. The court did, however, turn down a request from the prosecution for the newspaper to be banned. Umuseso has previously been found guilty of libel after publishing an article about the parliamentary deputy speaker Denis Polisi’s political ambitions in 2004.

Rwandan tabloid faces three month suspension

August 10th, 2009

The Media High Council (MHC) in Rwanda have called for a three-month suspension to local language tabloid, Umuseso, for allegedly going beyond the boundaries of media rules by allegedly likening the current government to the one that was in power in the run-up to the 1994 genocide. Read more here

Journaliste en Danger (JED)

May 20th, 2009

Journaliste en Danger is an organisation dedicated to the defence and promotion of press freedom, initially in the DRC and since May 2003 also in Burundi, Cameroon, Coorganisation Brazzaville, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Rwanda and Thad.