Journalists are bound by duty and passion to take the lead in the exercise of freedom of expression to serve the public and maintain the health of their country’s democracy. Yet, across the globe, they continue to face persecution and repression in the form of death threats, kidnapping, arbitrary arrests, detention, harassment and censorship. Despite the existence of national and international legislation protecting press freedom, journalists still find themselves in danger as a result of the information they produce and publish while perpetrators of violence against media professionals go unpunished. Fearing not only for their profession but also for their life, an increasing number of journalists are forced into exile.
Since 2001, more than 450 journalists fled the country they once called home. The report of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom “No home from home: the plight of East African exiled journalists” sheds light on this continuous impunity and its direct consequence, namely, journalists fleeing into exile. This study is the product of a two-week mission to Kenya and Uganda in April 2013 documenting the plight of more than 60 East African journalists living in exile in Uganda and Kenya, the two biggest hubs for refugees in the region. With a specific focus on the situation of Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Sudanese and South Sudanese exiled journalists, this research calls on the UNHCR, government officials, diplomats, NGOs and press freedom organisations to improve the protection and safety of those media professionals at risk.