In a release seen by The Point, the NGO enumerates that Angola, Burundi, DRC, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tunisia and Zambia jailed one journalist each. Also in the list are Cameroon (6), Senegal, (5) Rwanda (4), Algeria (3), Morocco (3), Togo (2)
However, Eritrea, Egypt and Ethiopia took the lead, with each jailing 16, 13 and 8 respectively.
“Eritrea was the top jailer of journalists across Africa. The majority of the 16 journalists imprisoned there have been detained since 2001 and are the longest detained journalists in the world,” CPJ states.
It adds: “Ethiopia has appeared on the census frequently and remains a difficult media environment. All eight journalists were arrested in 2023 after covering conflict in Amhara state. Cameroon has appeared on the census every year since 2014, with some of the six jailed journalists held since 2016.”
The New York-based media-centric NGO raises the concern that Senegal, once a beacon of press freedom, in the region, saw a spike in journalists’ arrests in 2023. Senegal had only appeared on the census twice previously (2008 & 2022) before jailing five at the end of 2023.
Furthermore, three of the four jailed journalists in Rwanda are YouTubers, while Togo has a press code that allows journalists to be prosecuted for reporting on social media. The two journalists jailed in Togo in 2023 were conditionally released on December 1.
CPJ further states: “Angola’s arrest and prosecution of Carlos Alberto for criminal defamation put it on the 2023 census for the first time since 1997. DRC enacted a new digital code and press law in April 2023 that criminalise journalism. Authorities have used these laws along with the penal code to prosecute Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala.
“Madagascar appeared on the census for the first time after arresting Roland Hubert ‘Lola’ Rasoamaharo in March 2023. Five of the jailed journalists are women.”
