Guinea: "Jeune Afrique L'Intelligent" news weekly banned for second week in a row
The Ministry of Local Government (ministère de l'Administration du Territoire et de la Décentralisation, MATD) has banned the sale of the 9 to 15 May 2004 edition (issue 2261) of the news weekly "Jeune Afrique L'Intelligent". This is the second time in the last two weeks that an edition of the newspaper has been prevented from going on sale. According to Media Foundation for West Africa-Guinea, the MATD was displeased with an article entitled, "Searching desperately for François Fall", published on page 12 of the paper.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT UPDATE - GUINEA
17 May 2004
"Jeune Afrique L'Intelligent" news weekly banned for second week in a row
SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek
**Updates IFEX alert of 5 May 2004**
**MISA and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org
and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**
(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:
The Ministry of Local Government (ministère de l'Administration du
Territoire et de la Décentralisation, MATD) has banned the sale of the 9 to
15 May 2004 edition (issue 2261) of the news weekly "Jeune Afrique
L'Intelligent". This is the second time in the last two weeks that an
edition of the newspaper has been prevented from going on sale.
According to MFWA-Guinea, the MATD was displeased with an article entitled,
"Searching desperately for François Fall", published on page 12 of the
paper.
The article, written by "Jeune Afrique L'Intelligent" staff writer Cheick
Yerim Seck, referred to measures which it claimed President Lansana Conté
used to persuade François Lonceny Fall to rescind his decision to resign
from his position as prime minister. Barely two months after he was
appointed prime minister on 23 February, Fall announced his resignation from
General Conté's government at a 27 April news conference in Paris, France.
He insinuated that he had had personal differences with the president and
chose to announce his resignation while outside the country because he
feared reprisals from the government.
This is the second time in two weeks that the MATD has prevented "Jeune
Afrique L'Intelligent" from being distributed in Guinea. Issue 2260 of the
paper (dated 2 to 8 May) remains in the MATD's possession. The ministry
prevented circulation of the previous issue for similar reasons.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities:
- urging General Conté's government to demonstrate a tolerance for divergent
or critical opinions, and allow the media in Guinea to operate according to
the universally subscribed and constitutionally guaranteed provisions of
media freedom and freedom of expression
- noting that the repeated seizures of "Jeune Afrique L'Intelligent" may
have severe implications for the paper's financial viability
APPEALS TO:
H.E. Lansana Conte
President
Republic of Guinea, Conakry
C/o Mme. Aissatou Diallo
Minister of Information
Ministry of Information
Tel: +224 415 001 / 228 569
Fax: +224 414 797
M. Mamadou Sylla
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
B.P. 564
Tel: +224 411 617
Fax: +224 411 617
E-mail: cfdj@ afribone.net.gn
Kiridi Bangoura
Minister of Local Government
Ministry of Local Government
B.P. 3495
Tel: +224 414 128 / 413 532
Fax: +224 414 128
E-mail: [email protected]
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.misa.org,
or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation for West Africa, P.
O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel/fax: +231 21 22 10 84, e-mail:
[email protected], Internet: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org
The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility of MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit MISA.
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