Marcel Legré

La Refondation

February 28, 2011, in Koumassi, Ivory Coast

A mob armed with machetes dragged Legré, a printing press employee for the media group La Refondation, from his home in Koumassi and hacked him to death, according to local journalists and news reports. The assailants were believed to be supporters of Alassane Ouattara, the opposition party leader who was locked in a protracted electoral dispute at the time with incumbent Laurent Gbagbo. (Ouattara was sworn in as president in May 2011.)

Legré's affiliation with La Refondation, publisher of the daily newspaper Notre Voie, which backed Gbagbo, was the likely motive, news reports said. Koumassi, an Abidjan suburb, was home to many Ouattara supporters.

Media Support Worker: In 2003, CPJ began documenting the deaths of vital media employees such as translators, drivers, fixers, and administrative workers.

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• Attacks on the Press in 2011: Journalists Killed, February 21, 2012
• For journalists, coverage of political unrest proves deadly, December 20, 2011
• Ivory Coast political camps target rival media outlets, March 1, 2011