Be careful please … if you are a journalist, then your life is in serious danger.
Dear reader, this article is not meant to trigger feelings of pessimism or spread panic, fear, and anxiety, but it is rather an acknowledgement of a fact and an assertion of an unfortunate reality experienced by millions of journalists around the world on a daily basis.
To feel safe after being pursued and chased for a long time by the police is a big deal. When circumstances and fate lead you to work in the field of journalism, and you start writing about corruption in your homeland and criticising the government, and then you let your pen lead you too far until you dare to reproach the head of state. At that point, they arrest you and oppress you. So you find yourself forced to leave your country in search of a safe haven where you can practice journalism and feel secure to close your door and sleep peacefully for the first time in your life.
Journalists. Photo: PIXABAY
Article 19, British human rights organisation has condemned the recent terrorist attacks on journalists in Mali and Burkina Faso, which resulted in the deaths of three people and the kidnapping of another.
The group, which has a specific mandate and focus on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information, said the murder of two Spanish journalists and an Irish conservationist, as well as the disappearance of a Burkinabe in eastern Burkina Faso on April 26, are deplorable.
According to the group, the government of Burkina Faso must immediately mount an independent, impartial and credible investigation into the killings and disappearance, bring the perpetrators to justice, and ensure all truth on this tragic incident is made public.
In Burkina Faso, Spanish journalist killings underscore broader dangers to the press gnnliberia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gnnliberia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Recent killings and kidnappings of reporters in the Sahel have highlighted the severe risks faced by journalists in the war-torn African region, with some describing themselves as sick with fear .
A brutal jihadist conflict in the Sahel nations of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has left vast swathes of territory outside of state control, and thousands of people dead.
Journalists covering the insurgency often find themselves targeted by armed groups, either because of their reporting, or their ransom value.
The considerable risks involved in practising journalism in the vast semi-arid region were underscored this week when it emerged that French reporter Olivier Dubois, who had gone missing, was likely being held captive by jihadists.
Cpj Calls For Immediate Release Of Kidnapped French Journalist Olivier Dubois In Mali
By Committee to Protect Journalists Listen to article
New York, May 7, 2021 – The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed great concern for the safety of French journalist Olivier Dubois, and called on any party holding him in custody to release him immediately and without harm.
“French journalist Olivier Dubois must be released immediately and unharmed, and French and Malian authorities should do everything in their power to hold his captors to account,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “Dubois’ abduction is a reminder that journalists covering the Sahel region face an extremely high threat of kidnapping, and work under very dangerous circumstances.”