{ "title": "Ladder: detention and violence, in Africa", "canonical_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence?continent=africa", "filters": { "continent": "africa" }, "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.", "tactic": { "slug": "detention_and_violence", "name": "Detention and violence", "definition": "Arrest, detention, prosecution, imprisonment, physical harm or killing of journalists, where police, soldiers, officials or others acting for a government carried out, ordered or authorised the act. Harm by private people is recorded only when a government actor was involved.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/detention_and_violence" }, "focal_case": "US", "count": 7, "stages": [ { "stage": "punish", "name": "Punish", "definition": "Legal or physical action against individual journalists or sources: subpoenas and record seizures, prosecutions, arrests, detention, expulsions, visa denials, assault where a government actor is involved.", "rungs": [ { "slug": "2013-egypt-al-jazeera-journalists-jailed", "title": "Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related charges", "occurred_on": "2013-12-29", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "EG", "country_name": "Egypt", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 169, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "adly-mansour", "leader_name": "Adly Mansour", "what_was_done": "Months after the military removed President Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian security forces arrested Al Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed at a Cairo hotel; courts later convicted them of aiding a banned organization, and international pressure led to pardons.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2015-09-23", "outcome_note": "President Sisi pardoned Fahmy and Mohamed on September 23, 2015; Greste had already been deported to Australia in February 2015 under a prisoner-transfer arrangement.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2013-egypt-al-jazeera-journalists-jailed" }, { "slug": "2025-tunisia-record-journalists-jailed-decree-54", "title": "Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992", "occurred_on": "2025-01-16", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "TN", "country_name": "Tunisia", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 137, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "kais-saied", "leader_name": "Kais Saied", "what_was_done": "The Committee to Protect Journalists found at least four journalists imprisoned under Tunisia's 2022 Decree-Law 54 on cybercrime as of January 2025, including radio hosts Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies, pushing the country's jailed-journalist count to its highest since 1992 under President Kais Sa…", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Decree-Law 54 remained in force and continued to produce new prosecutions, which CPJ said brought jailed-journalist numbers to a record.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "insult_and_defamation_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-tunisia-record-journalists-jailed-decree-54" }, { "slug": "2025-ethiopia-arrests-journalists-sheger-fm", "title": "Ethiopia arrests at least six journalists including Sheger FM staff over election-year coverage", "occurred_on": "2025-09-03", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "ET", "country_name": "Ethiopia", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 148, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "abiy-ahmed", "leader_name": "Abiy Ahmed", "what_was_done": "Ethiopian authorities arrested at least six journalists between August and September 2025, including three from Sheger FM after the Ethiopian Media Authority ordered the station to delete a broadcast it accused of bias and inciting violence, ahead of national elections scheduled for 2026.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2025-09-22", "outcome_note": "Some journalists were granted bail while an appeal proceeded; the media authority's order against Sheger FM remained in force.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 1, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "outlet_licensing" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-ethiopia-arrests-journalists-sheger-fm" } ] }, { "stage": "silence", "name": "Silence", "definition": "Removing outlets or channels from the public sphere: closures, licence withdrawals, forced sales, blocking and shutdowns, prior restraint, nationalisation.", "rungs": [ { "slug": "1950-south-africa-suppression-of-communism-act", "title": "South Africa's Suppression of Communism Act lets the government ban publications and restrict individuals", "occurred_on": "1950-07-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": false, "country": "ZA", "country_name": "South Africa", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 21, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "daniel-francois-malan", "leader_name": "Daniel François Malan", "what_was_done": "Under Prime Minister Daniel François Malan, South Africa's parliament approved the Suppression of Communism Act in 1950, defining communism broadly enough to cover most opposition to apartheid.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1991-07-31", "outcome_note": "The \"Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act\" repealed section 55 of the Suppression of Communism Act, which had prohibited furthering the aims of communism, on July 31, 1991; broader banning orders under the act and its successors had already been lifted the year before, in February 1990.{c:731}", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 4, "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "outlet_licensing", "prior_restraint" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1950-south-africa-suppression-of-communism-act" }, { "slug": "1977-south-africa-world-newspaper-banned-qoboza-detained", "title": "South Africa bans The World and Weekend World newspapers and detains editor Percy Qoboza", "occurred_on": "1977-10-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "silence", "focal_case": false, "country": "ZA", "country_name": "South Africa", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 21, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "john-vorster", "leader_name": "Balthazar Johannes Vorster", "what_was_done": "On October 19, 1977, a day South Africans came to call Black Wednesday, the government banned the newspapers The World and Weekend World and had the Special Branch police arrest editor Percy Qoboza and deputy editor Aggrey Klaaste.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "1978-03-01", "outcome_note": "Qoboza was released from detention in March 1978 after international pressure, but The World did not resume publication.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 4, "tactic_primary": "outlet_licensing", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "outlet_licensing" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1977-south-africa-world-newspaper-banned-qoboza-detained" } ] }, { "stage": "eliminate", "name": "Eliminate", "definition": "Long imprisonment, killing, disappearance or forced exile of journalists, with state involvement as the sources state it.", "rungs": [ { "slug": "1995-nigeria-abacha-journalists-tribunal", "title": "Nigeria's military government convicts journalists by special tribunal over coup-plot reporting", "occurred_on": "1995-07-27", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "stage": "eliminate", "focal_case": false, "country": "NG", "country_name": "Nigeria", "continent": "africa", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 112, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 112th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "sani-abacha", "leader_name": "Sani Abacha", "what_was_done": "A special military tribunal convicted four Nigerian journalists as accessories to a supposed 1995 coup plot after they reported on it, sentencing them to lengthy prison terms with no right of appeal, under the military government of General Sani Abacha.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "1998-06-15", "outcome_note": "The journalists were released in stages after General Abacha's death in June 1998 under his successor's government; their convictions were not vacated in the sources reviewed.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1995-nigeria-abacha-journalists-tribunal" }, { "slug": "2001-eritrea-jails-journalists-indefinitely", "title": "Eritrea: independent press closed and journalists jailed without trial", "occurred_on": "2001-09-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "eliminate", "focal_case": false, "country": "ER", "country_name": "Eritrea", "continent": "africa", "rsf": null, "leader_slug": "isaias-afwerki", "leader_name": "Isaias Afwerki", "what_was_done": "Eritrea's government closed every private newspaper and jailed at least nineteen journalists, including Dawit Isaac of the paper Setit, without charge or trial in September 2001, after suspending the constitution.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "As of the 2010 source reviewed, none of the journalists detained in 2001 had been charged, tried or publicly accounted for.", "ladder_note": "Eritrea jailed at least nineteen journalists without charge, trial or public acknowledgment of their fate after suspending its constitution, and has not accounted for several of them in over two decades; no United States detention in the record has approached that duration.", "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2001-eritrea-jails-journalists-indefinitely" } ] } ], "downloads": { "csv": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence?continent=africa&format=csv", "json": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence.json?continent=africa", "md": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/detention_and_violence.md?continent=africa" }, "license": { "name": "CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" } }