Marzouka Oummou Hani

Hani, a talented young author, wrote Mon Pere ou Mon Destin (My Father or My Destiny). She was sued for blasphemy by the leader of Idool Village for alleged derogatory comments… More

Pape Alé Niang

In November 2022, Niang was arrested after a video was released on Dakar Matin in which he reported the contents of an internal gendarmerie report. He was released on… More

Hopewell Chin’ono

Chin’ono was detained in July 2020 for almost six weeks after he published his investigations into state corruption. He has since been repeatedly detained on additional spurious charges, including… More

Norman Tumuhimbise

While promoting his new book on political corruption in Uganda, The Liars and Accomplices, Tumuhimbise was arrested on March 10, 2022 for “offensive communication." He was released on bail… More

Danson Kahyana

A writer, poet, and academic, Dr Kanhaya's online writing was sometimes critical of the authorities. In April 2022, he was violently attacked by unkown assailants on his way home… More

Yousef El Dosh

On March 5, 2021, El Dosh was summoned to appear before a court after a reading of his original poem about the violent dispersal of protestors in 2019—known as… More

Innocent Bahati

Poet and teacher Innocent Bahati disappeared in 2021 after meeting an unknown person at a hotel in Nyanza district. Shortly after the disappearance, the Rwandan Secretary of State asked… More

Paul Rusesabagina

Paul Rusesabagina

Rusesabagina is the author of An Ordinary Man, an autobiography of his life as a hotel manager during the Rwandan genocide. He was detained in August 2020 when boarding… More

António Aly Silva

Freelance journalist and editor of the blog Dictatorship of Consensus, António Aly Silva is a strong critic of President Úmaro Sissoco Embaló and the current regime. He was detained… More

Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir

Mohamed Cheikh ould Mohamed Mkhaïtir

In 2014, Mkhaïtr was sentenced to death for writing an article, in which he argued that Muaritania's caste system was not justified by the teachings of the prophet Mohammed.… More