Following the shooting death of a well-known investigative journalist in the nation’s capital, Maseru, by unidentified assailants, the Kingdom of Lesotho has imposed a nighttime curfew.
On Sunday night, Ralikonelo Joki was fatally shot not long after quitting his job at the independently owned Tsénolo FM radio.
According to local media reports, the journalist was shot twice as he was leaving the station’s grounds, according to station manager Mshengu Shabalala.
In a televised speech on Monday, Minister of Police Lebona Lephema said that there would be no movement between 22:00 to 4:00 local time starting on Tuesday.
The curfew, according to Lephema, “is to ensure order is restored” in light of the nation’s rising crime rates.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for thorough investigations and the prosecution of those guilty in response to the journalist’s murder, which has caused outrage.
Over the past few years, several journalists have either been shot at, assaulted, or forced to leave Lesotho due to threats against them because of their job.
Days after his newspaper published an article critical of the armed forces in 2016, a group of soldiers shot and seriously injured Lloyd Mutungamiri, the editor of the Lesotho Times.
