On 5 September 2026, Lesotho journalist and human rights defender Kananelo Boloetse was abducted from his home in Katlehong, in the capital Maseru. According to Amnesty International, three unidentified men took him away, interrogated him about his journalism and human rights work, assaulted him and threatened to kill him. He was later abandoned in Thaba-Bosiu, approximately 20–25 kilometres from Maseru, seriously injured.

Boloetse is the editor of Newsday Media, a human rights defender and a former chairperson of MISA Lesotho, the local chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa. He is also co-founder of The Advocates for the Supremacy of the Constitution (SECTION 2), a civic movement working on constitutional democracy, freedom of expression and civic space in Lesotho. His work has focused particularly on government accountability, the rule of law and the representation of voices often excluded from public debate.

Accounts of the attack indicate that the violence was directly connected to his work. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the armed attackers restrained and handcuffed Boloetse, covered his mouth with duct tape and beat him while he was being driven away from his home. He was later tortured and warned that if he spoke publicly about what had happened, his attackers would return and kill him. After being abandoned, Boloetse received hospital treatment and subsequently filed a complaint with the police in Maseru.

The circumstances surrounding the attack have raised further concerns. Newsday Media reported that Boloetse’s home appeared to have been under surveillance before the abduction. The IFJ also notes that the attack came shortly after a serious cyberattack disrupted Newsday Publications’ website and email services following investigative reporting on education financing in Lesotho. The identity of the abductors and any possible connection between these events have not been established.

MISA Lesotho has described the attack as an attempt to intimidate not only Boloetse but the wider media community. The organization is demanding an immediate investigation, guarantees for the safety of Boloetse, his family and the Newsday Media team, and accountability for everyone involved in organizing or carrying out the attack.

Front Line Defenders has also called on the Lesotho authorities to investigate the abduction, assault and death threats independently and impartially, including examining any possible involvement of state security personnel without prejudging the outcome. The organization believes Boloetse was targeted in connection with his human rights work.

Amnesty International has launched an Urgent Action for Kananelo Boloetse, calling on the authorities to guarantee his safety and protect him from further threats, intimidation or reprisals. It is also demanding a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation and that anyone suspected of criminal responsibility be brought to justice through fair proceedings.

The case of Kananelo Boloetse is part of a broader issue documented repeatedly on ChannelDraw: the targeting of journalists and freedom of the press and of human rights defenders. When a journalist is attacked because of the questions he asks and the rights he defends, the violence is directed not only against one person. It is also an attempt to intimidate those who investigate power, document abuses and make information available to the public.

As Amnesty International stresses, journalists and human rights defenders must be able to carry out their work freely and safely. Violence and threats against those exercising freedom of expression cannot be allowed to become instruments for producing silence.