Dear Press Freedom Supporter,
In early October, a court in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, acquitted three Iwacu TV journalists—Damascene Mutuyimana, Shadrack Niyonsenga, and Jean Baptiste Nshimiyimana—of baseless charges of spreading false information, publishing unoriginal statements, and inciting insurrection. They had been held for four years in pretrial detention, and prosecutors were calling for 22 years and five months in prison.
Now they are free.
"I am a journalist, and I was a journalist, and I will always be," Nshimiyimana told Reuters.
CPJ was a leader in reporting on the Iwacu TV staff's detainment and demanding their release. Our advocacy in cases like theirs can go a long way to helping keep journalists out of jail; in fact, so far this year, we've fought for and helped secure the early release of at least 130 journalists.
Still, no journalist should be imprisoned for trying to bring us the news. CPJ's new census found 363 journalists behind bars as of Dec. 1, 2022 - a number worsened by growing crises from Iran to Myanmar to Ukraine. Even in Rwanda, four other journalists remain behind bars.
As a supporter of CPJ, your voice matters in our fight. Whether by sharing our work or
making a gift to CPJ, together we can make more noise to demand justice for jailed journalists. After all, no journalists should languish behind bars simply for bringing us the news.
As always, thank you for your continued support of our work and mission.
Best,
John D. Weis
Director of Development and Outreach
