World Press Freedom Day

New weekly update on the breaking stories in the African nations.

Mourners at the funeral for Bayo Ohu; assistant news editor and political reporter for the Lagos, Nigeria-based The Guardian. (The Vanguard)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Unseen, unheard; no one should be the bearer of these two words. Unfortunately, Africa is often in the forefront of this association.

Our common humanity should change this; we should never look away because it is too distant. Our commitment to one another, to human rights, and the ability to learn should always keep us connected no matter the severity and complexity of problems.

May 3 was World Freedom of Press Day; a day to remember those great voices that have been lost and to listen to those still working tirelessly to bring the world a little bit closer. The articles below show the increased violence many journalists face while trying to work abroad. These brave people work very hard to highlight the many Human Rights abuses and to allow a voice to stream loud from within these closed borders.

Nigeria: NUJ Abuga Protest Over Murdered Journalists - Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abuja Council Saturday carried placards to protest the killings of journalists and insistent threats to their lives. Nigeria: NUJ Abuja Protest Over Murdered Journalists - allafrica.com

Cameroon Investigation into Journalist’s Death Challenged - Press freedom advocates are questioning Cameroon's investigation into a prominent journalist's death. Government officials say Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota died in prison because he was weakened by HIV. Cameroon Investigation into Journalist's Death Challenged - VOA News

Somali gunman kill veteran broadcast reporter - Three gunmen shot dead veteran broadcast journalist Sheik Nur Mohamed Abkey on Tuesday evening as he was returning home from work at the state-run Radio Mogadishu, local journalists told CPJ. Gunmen abducted Abkey, left, near his residence in Wardhigley, southern Mogadishu, and shot him repeatedly in the head. Local journalists said they suspect Abkey was tortured after finding his body dumped in an alleyway in Wardhigley. Somali gunmen kill veteran broadcast reporter - Committee to Protect Journalists

Eritrea accused of prison abuse - A former Eritrean prison guard says at least 15 former high-ranking government officials and journalists have died in jail due to inhumane conditions. Eritrea accused of prisoner abuse - Medeshi.com

Zimbabwe: Police Block Journalist from Marching in Bulawayo and Masvingo - Police in Bulawayo and Masvingo have blocked belated World Press Freedom Day marches by journalists in the country. Zimbabwe: Police Block Journalists from Marching in Bulawayo and Masvingo - allafrica.com

South Africa: Michael Uredi, “My wife was raped because I gave my opinion to a newspaper” - Michael Uredi, 37, a cabinet maker, came to South Africa from the Eastern Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) eight years ago. He is a member of the Bembe ethnic group, married to a woman from the Banyamulenge, so he is not welcome at home and his wife was raped by his "own people" before they fled. This is his story. SOUTH AFRICA: Michael Uredi, "My wife was raped because I gave my opinion to a newspaper" - alertnet.org

Media watchdog group names freedom “predators” - Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders has named the leaders of China, Russia and Rwanda as some of the world's worst "predators of freedom". Media watchdog group names freedom "predators" BBC