Burkina Faso

New York, April 26, 2007—Authorities in Burkina Faso must fully investigate a death threat against outspoken journalist and free speech activist Karim Sama, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sama received an anonymous e-mail last week warning that he “will be gunned down” over commentary that is critical of the government.

Sama, host of two popular reggae programs on Radio Ouaga FM in the capital, Ouagadougou, said he received an April 18 e-mail stating: “Just inviting you to stop your nonsense at radio Ouaga FM. You must know that you will be gunned down very soon and nothing will happen.” The message continued, in incomplete sentences: “We have gunned down Norbert Zongo, nothing happened. You also your turn isn’t very far.”

New York, January 23, 2007—A court in the capital, Ouagadougou, convicted two top journalists with the private bi-monthly L’Evénement on criminal defamation charges on Monday in connection with critical stories about the unsolved 1998 murder of editor Norbert Zongo.

Director Germain Nama and editor Ahmed Newton Barry were found guilty of defaming Francois Compaoré, brother of President Blaise Compaoré. Nama and Barry were each sentenced to two-month suspended prison terms, fined 300,000 CFA francs (US$600), and ordered to pay symbolic damages of 1 CFA franc to Compaoré, defense lawyer Bénéwendé Sankara told CPJ. The journalists have filed an appeal but were instructed to publish the ruling in the local papers, Nama told CPJ.

New York, January 19, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on authorities in Burkina Faso to drop criminal defamation charges against two private newspaper journalists over stories on the unsolved 1998 murder of editor Norbert Zongo. The articles discussed a report by the Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) that raised questions about the role of President Blaise Compaoré’s brother in the Zongo case.