Committee to Protect Journalists

CPJ promotes press freedom worldwide and defends the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.

South Sudan government warning: Don’t interview rebels

Photo Credit: SOLAN GEMECHU/AFP/Getty Images

By Tom Rhodes/CPJ East African Representative

Last week, South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei warned reporters in the capital, Juba, not to interview the opposition or face possible arrest or expulsion from the country. According to the minister, a lawyer by profession, broadcast interviews with rebels by local media are considered “hostile propaganda” and “in conflict with the law.”