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Amnesty International on Tuesday called on authorities in Lesotho to investigate the reported abduction and assault of journalist Kananelo Boloetse. Boloetse, a journalist and human rights defender, was reported to have been abducted from his home in Maseru on September 5th and was tortured and severely beaten as a result of his investigative journalism.
Matheka also noted that it seemed to be designed to not only harm Boloetse, but to also frighten the newsroom into silence. In a statement regarding the situation, Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said:
Additionally, he gained national prominence for challenging major telecom corporations to protect everyday citizens and frequently covers social movements. An outspoken advocate for free education, economic restructuring, and the protection of human rights, he has consistently championed the welfare of the people.
According to a statement released by Newsday, three unidentified men took Boloetse to a remote location, after neighbors had seen a suspicious vehicle monitoring his house hours before the abduction. After the attack, the perpetrators ended up abandoning Boloetse in the Thaba-Bosiu area, where he later regained consciousness and made his way to a nearby road, despite his severe injuries, where a passing driver was able to pick him up.
Boloetse’s abduction came days after a cyberattack disrupted Newsday’s website and email services. Lerato Peggy Matheka, Newsday Media Managing Director and Managing Editor, condemned the attack. She claimed that this was not a simple robbery. The threats on Boloetse’s life centred on his work as a journalist and human rights defender. Boloetse’s phone and other valuables were left untouched.
The attack on Boloetse is unfortunately not an isolated one in Lesotho’s history of state oppression on journalistic freedom. Previously, Lloyd Mutungamiri, a former editor for the Lesotho Times was ambushed in 2016 by military personnel after his publication of an article exposing the excess power wielded by the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF). Although he was shot multiple times in the face and body, he survived the attacks but suffered from severe trauma. In 2020, two Newsday reporters were assaulted by armed Lesotho Mounted Police Service officers while covering the Bacha Shutdown movement, which is a youth-led social movement advocating against gender-based violence and high unemployment rates.
Attacks on journalistic freedom have only increased in the past decade despite its codification under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Governments increasingly use strategic lawsuits against public perception, arbitrary detention, and restrictive legislation to suppress reporting. The 2026 Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index has found that over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom, a 25 year low.
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Matheka also noted that it seemed to be designed to not only harm Boloetse, but to also frighten the newsroom into silence. In a statement regarding the situation, Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said:
As editor-in-chief at Newsday Media, a general-interest media group founded in 2017, Boloetse oversees journalists covering governance, public accountability and development issues. Boloetse himself has been investigating state institutions and has demanded transparency from those in power regarding education financing in Lesotho.
Additionally, he gained national prominence for challenging major telecom corporations to protect everyday citizens and frequently covers social movements. An outspoken advocate for free education, economic restructuring, and the protection of human rights, he has consistently championed the welfare of the people.
According to a statement released by Newsday, three unidentified men took Boloetse to a remote location, after neighbors had seen a suspicious vehicle monitoring his house hours before the abduction. After the attack, the perpetrators ended up abandoning Boloetse in the Thaba-Bosiu area, where he later regained consciousness and made his way to a nearby road, despite his severe injuries, where a passing driver was able to pick him up.
Boloetse’s abduction came days after a cyberattack disrupted Newsday’s website and email services. Lerato Peggy Matheka, Newsday Media Managing Director and Managing Editor, condemned the attack. She claimed that this was not a simple robbery. The threats on Boloetse’s life centred on his work as a journalist and human rights defender. Boloetse’s phone and other valuables were left untouched.
The attack on Boloetse is unfortunately not an isolated one in Lesotho’s history of state oppression on journalistic freedom. Previously, Lloyd Mutungamiri, a former editor for the Lesotho Times was ambushed in 2016 by military personnel after his publication of an article exposing the excess power wielded by the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF). Although he was shot multiple times in the face and body, he survived the attacks but suffered from severe trauma. In 2020, two Newsday reporters were assaulted by armed Lesotho Mounted Police Service officers while covering the Bacha Shutdown movement, which is a youth-led social movement advocating against gender-based violence and high unemployment rates.
Attacks on journalistic freedom have only increased in the past decade despite its codification under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Governments increasingly use strategic lawsuits against public perception, arbitrary detention, and restrictive legislation to suppress reporting. The 2026 Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index has found that over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom, a 25 year low.
The post Lesotho authorities must investigate reported abduction and assault of journalist, Amnesty International says appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.