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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is "gravely concerned" about the safety of seven Sierra Leonean journalists who last week received death threats from unknown sources. All seven received an identical letter containing a hit list that included their names and which was signed by one "Danger Squad". The letter, a copy of which was obtained by CPJ, also read that "all must die before elections, all these journalists are enemies of the state", the New-York based organisation said in a communique on Tuesday.
CPJ has urged the Sierra Leonean authorities to investigate the threats and take steps to protect the journalists. "Similar threats preceded the murders of some 10 journalists by rebel forces in January 1999", CPJ said. The journalists, longtime critics of the government, have once before been on a similar death list. It is believed that this time they are being threatened for criticising the government's decision to postpone presidential and parliamentary elections from December 2001 to May 2002, CPJ said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
