Ivory Coast: Journalist kidnapped

IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ACTION ALERT - CÔTE D'IVOIRE

13 May 2004

Journalist escapes kidnapping attempt, assailants mistakenly abduct another
journalist

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**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:

On 11 May 2004, Méité Sindou, a journalist and director-general of the
Mayama Group, which publishes the daily "Le Patriote" newspaper, escaped a
kidnapping attempt when three assailants abducted another journalist,
mistaking him for Sindou.

According to MFWA-Cote d'Ivoire, at about 7:00 p.m. (local time) on 11 May,
three unidentified individuals, who had stationed themselves close to the
gate of the Mayama Group's offices, accosted Ouattara Kader, general manager
of "Le Patriote". They commandeered his car at gunpoint and drove away with
him.

After interrogating him, however, Ouattara Kader's assailants realised that
he was not Sindou, whom they said was their target. They left him at the
outskirts of town and told him they would leave the car near the Treichville
teaching hospital, about 10 kilometres from the newspaper's offices.
Although Ouattara Kader has since reported the incident to police, no
further information on the case has been provided.

BACKGROUND:
"Le Patriote" is close to the opposition Rassemblement des Républicains
(RDR) party of former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.

Journalists in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly those perceived to be sympathetic
towards the opposition, have constantly been the victims of reprisals and
political vendettas since civil conflict broke out in the country in
September 2002.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to authorities:
- calling on the government to immediately provide Sindou with police
protection and to investigate and punish those who attempted to kidnap the
journalist

APPEALS TO:

President Laurent Gbagbo
C/o Soro K. Guillaume
Ministre d'Etat, Ministre de la Communication
[Minister of Communications]
BP V 138 Abidjan
Tel: +225 2021 1116
Fax: +255 2022 6203

Bamba Mamadou
Ministre d'Etat, Ministre des affaires étrangères
[Minister of Foreign Affairs]
BP V 109 Abidjan
Tel: +225 2032 0888
Fax: +255 2032 3839

Victorine Wodié
Ministre des droits de l'Homme
[Minister of Human Rights]
01 BP 2020 Abidjan 01
Tel: +225 2032 1611
Fax: +255 2032 8101

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 is the sole responsibility of
MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
MISA.
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