On February 17, in the western city of Waterloo, a group of about 30 people attacked Antha while he covered a meeting over a land dispute, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a statement by the Media Reform Coordinating Group, a local press association.
Antha, a presenter and producer with the privately owned broadcaster Eagle Africa FM, planned to cover a meeting over a dispute between members of the local Matale community and former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Christopher John, he said. However, when he arrived, he found a large number of young people insulting police officers at the scene and, when officers asked them to step back, those demonstrators threw stones at the officers and destroyed John’s car, Antha said.
The police officers and John fled the area, and when Antha attempted to leave on his motorcycle, a group of people accused him of being part of John’s team, threw stones at him, hit him with sticks, and stole his motorbike, two phones, and a recorder, the journalist said. He told CPJ he was attacked for about 30 minutes in total.
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