Almost two months since the failed coup-bid against President Pierre Nkurunzinza, journalists in Burundi are still facing threats and intimidation from the government.

Global rights watchdog Amnesty International warns that the escalating threats against journalists and other media workers seen in the past week are worrying signs that journalism in Burundi has become increasingly dangerous.

“The intimidation is real and has sparked a climate of fear among journalists. If the police are shooting peaceful protesters, journalists must be able to report that. If Burundian citizens are fleeing the country, journalists should be free to report that too,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn, and the Great Lakes.

The country’s independent media, which played a critical role in airing the street protests against the president’s disputed third term bid, suffered a backlash after loyalist forces quashed the coup attempt led by renegade general Godefroid Niyombare last month and launched a crackdown on private media.

A day after the coup was foiled, authorities in Bujumbura forced a dozen radio stations and TV networks to go off-air, plunging the country into an information blackout for weeks.

The government, along with its supporters, accuse independent media of siding with the coup plotters, and a number of them are under investigation for the role they played during the coup.

READ: Burundi takes 18 suspects in failed coup to court

The last hours of the battle between loyalist forces and supporters of the coup centred on the control of the airwaves, where unidentified men fired grenades towards privately owned radio stations like African Public Radio, Bonesha FM, Renaissance Radio and Television and Radio Isanganiro.

None of these stations are back on air, according to latest reports. Authorities say they will only resume broadcasting if they are cleared off any involvement in the failed coup.

According to the chairperson of the country’s national communications council, Richard Giramahoro, he is “not concerned about the decision [to close the radio stations] because it came from high authorities”.

Local and foreign journalists have not been spared in this clampdown, Amnesty International says.

Just last week, David Thomson, a Radio France International (RFI) journalist, received threatening phone calls and a text message from senior Burundian officials.

The same week, photojournalists who were covering a demonstration reported that policemen informed them that they would be “dealt with as if they were coup plotters” and that their mere presence on the ground was triggering demonstrations, according to Amnesty International.

On June 4, Burundian authorities withdrew the accreditation of France 24 journalist Thaïs Brouck, stating that he failed to cover the elections process according to the terms of his accreditation letter.

An official also told him that his presence in Burundi was inciting people to demonstrate.

Local journalists and bloggers have also been threatened by the police, intelligence and Imbonerakure – the armed militia that supports the ruling party – forcing many of them to go into hiding.

“I always change places where I spend night after I saw my arrest warrant so am always in hiding," said one of the local newspaper journalists who is said to be accused of mobilising the protests.

“These disturbing attacks on the press indicate the Burundian authorities’ intolerance of freedom of expression, media freedom and the right to information. The government must show its commitment to these human rights by allowing both local and international journalists to operate freely and safely,” said Sarah Jackson.

The opposition continues to raise concerns over the quality of the polls – to take place on June 29 for parliamentary and July 15 for presidential – in the midst of a media blackout.

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On the agenda of the political dialogue between the opposition and the government, reopening private media has been included on issues under discussions, however, not much progress has been made on securing commitments from the authorities.