Guinea: Issue of weekly magazine "JA L'Intelligent" temporarily seized
On 24 April 2005, Interior Minister Kiridi Bangoura ordered the temporary seizure of issue 2311 of the weekly magazine "JA L'Intelligent", which carried a story and commentary on the health of the president, General Lansana Conte. According to Media Foundation for West Africa-Conakry sources, the magazine's 24 to 30 April edition carried a front page article entitled, "Guinea: the End", and a commentary entitled, "Eaten up with sickness, President Conte still hangs on to power and the country is dying". The magazine was only allowed to reappear on newsstands on 27 April, when the temporary ban was lifted.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - GUINEA
6 May 2005
Issue of weekly magazine "JA L'Intelligent" temporarily seized
SOURCE: Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Accra
(MFWA/IFEX) - On 24 April 2005, Interior Minister Kiridi Bangoura ordered
the temporary seizure of issue 2311 of the weekly magazine "JA
L'Intelligent", which carried a story and commentary on the health of the
president, General Lansana Conte.
According to MFWA-Conakry sources, the magazine's 24 to 30 April edition
carried a front page article entitled, "Guinea: the End", and a commentary
entitled, "Eaten up with sickness, President Conte still hangs on to power
and the country is dying". The magazine was only allowed to reappear on
newsstands on 27 April, when the temporary ban was lifted.
The article and commentary by journalist Cheikh Yerim Seck appeared
alongside a picture of the president with his back to the camera, and made
reference to the serious state of the president's health. The stories also
commented on the president's few public appearances and the effect of the
president's poor health on Guinea's current deplorable economic situation.
Annoyed by the critical articles, the interior minister instructed the
Guinean newspaper distribution company SOGUIDIP not to distribute the
magazine.
For further information, contact Jeannette Quarcoopome, Media Foundation for
West Africa, P.O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel.: +233 21 24 24 70, fax:
+231 21 22 10 84, e-mail: [email protected], Internet:
http://www.mfwaonline.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MFWA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MFWA.
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