North Africa
  In Tunisia, Abdallah Zouari a journalist for "Al-Fajr", the weekly newspaper of the banned Islamist Al-Nahda party, was sentenced to four months in prison for "defamation" on 18 July. The charges reportedly stemmed from an incident in May in which Zouari complained about being barred from using a cybercaf. Prior to this sentence, Zouari had served 11 years in prison for "belonging to an illegal organisation".

West Africa
  In Togo, two of three journalists who had been imprisoned for over a month on charges of "attempting to publish false information and to disturb public order" were released from custody on 23 July. Philip Evgnon, managing director of the weekly "L’Evenement", and Jean de Dieu Kpakpabia, journalist for the weekly "Nouvel Echo", were acquitted of the charges on 22 July. The third journalist, "L’Evenement" editor-in-chief Dimas Dzikodo, was convicted of "attempting to publish false information" and fined 500,000 CFA franc (850 Euro).

Central Africa
  In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Donatien Nyembo Kimuni, a correspondent in Katanga province for the Kinshasa-based weekly "La Tribune", was sentenced to five years in prison for "defamation" on 11 July. The journalist had written an article in June on the exploitation of workers and poor working conditions at the company, Congo Mineral.

Southern Africa
  In Lesotho, local media were barred from attending events during the British Princess Anne’s official visit, despite the fact that their counterparts from South Africa were gra