Guinea

With the death on Monday of Guinean President Lansana Conté, uncertainty hangs over what--or who--is to follow. Yet, as recently as last week, coverage of the poor health of the reclusive autocrat, who ruled this mineral-rich but poor West African nation since 1984, proved risky for the Guinean independent media. 

New York, May 28, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a two-month ban summarily handed to a Guinean independent newspaper last week over an editorial that raised critical questions about the health of President Lansana Conté’s second wife.

The state-run National Communications Council decided on the ban, which is the third suspension of a newspaper in Guinea this year, after private weeklies La Vérité and L’Observateur, according to CPJ research.

BENIN

• Editor Fulric Richard Couao-Zotti and Managing Editor Virgile Linkpon of the private weekly La Diaspora de Sabbat were imprisoned for three days in September over a story about the president's family. The article claimed that President Yayi Boni's eldest son had a mental illness, according to Joseph Perzo Anago, head of the Benin media center, and local media reports. A presidential spokesman said the journalists had attacked Boni's family.

During nationwide strikes and antigovernment demonstrations in January
and February, state security forces attacked Guinea’s newly launched private radio stations, blocked print publications, and threatened journalists. More than 130 people were killed, mostly by government security forces, during protests that were unprecedented in size and popular support. The unrest was quelled in late February when President Lansana Conté agreed to appoint as prime minister Lansana Kouyaté, a respected diplomat who was backed by local trade unions. Kouyaté’s appointment marked a departure from Conté’s brutal and often capricious rule, and local journalists reported a decrease in harassment and censorship in its aftermath. Still, the president, who rarely appears in public and reportedly suffers from diabetes and other ailments, maintained de facto control over segments of Guinea’s economy and political apparatus, and it remained unclear whether the transition would lead to long-term improvements for the Guinean press.

Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Chad
Comoros
DRC
Equatorial    Guinea

 

New York, January 4, 2008—State regulators in the Guinean capital, Conakry, summarily suspended two private newspapers on Monday and barred their journalists from practice for three months. Local journalists and news reports say the bans were connected to December articles critical of top government officials.

 

New York, August 14, 2007—A court in the Guinean capital of Conakry handed down suspended prison sentences on Monday to two private newspaper directors in connection with articles alleging corruption by a former government minister, according to local journalists.

Thiernodjo Diallo of La Vérité and Abdoul Azziz Camara of Libération were each sentenced to six-month prison terms, a total fine of 50 million Guinean francs (US$13,000), and ordered to publish the verdict, defense lawyer Christian Sow told CPJ. An appeal was filed this morning, according to Sow.

New York, February 14, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports of increasing government crackdowns on the media after President Lansana Conté declared martial law on Monday in response to deadly unrest in the country.

112 people have died since union leaders launched a national strike last month to demand the resignation of ailing President Conté, in power since 1984, according to international news reports. An 18-day strike in January was called off by union leaders after President Conté promised to hand over powers to a prime minister, but resumed over the weekend after unions rejected the nomination of Eugene Camara.

Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Chad
Comoros
DRC
Equatorial    Guinea