Les forces de sécurité guinéennes ont arrêté une douzaine de journalistes qui manifestaient pour la liberté de la presse à Conakry. Ils réclament le rétablissement de l'accès au site https://t.co/RutsS9lIX7 au pays et dénoncent la censure. pic.twitter.com/POToVInOP7
— Le journal Afrique TV5MONDE (@JTAtv5monde) October 16, 2023
Expression
Access to news sites blocked
Access to two news sites, Guineematin.com and Inquisiteur.net, was temporarily blocked in Guinea. Between 25th August 2023 and 4th November 2023, popular news site Guineematin.com, was rendered inaccessible in Guinea. Inquisiteur.net became inaccessible in Guinea on 1st September 2023. Access was briefly restored on 5th September 2023, only to be blocked again 30 minutes later after the news site published three articles, including one questioning the military junta’s respect for its pledges.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the spokesperson for the Ministry of Communication, Azoka Bah, denied responsibility for the blocking of the two sites. Mamoudou Babila Keita, the general manager of Inquisiteur.net, told Reporters without Borders (RSF) that he believes the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) – the military junta – is responsible for the blocking of the news sites:
Although there has been no official notification about the reasons for this restriction, we were warned in advance of this closure in the form of threats. We are accused of being a media that is critical of the government, especially in our investigative reporting.
- Mamoudou Babila Keita, Inquisiteur.net
In July 2023, after the Inquisiteur.net published an article about the military junta, Keita had already received a message from the CNRD’s communication and information director asking him to take down the article because it had “irritated the transitional president”.
This was not the first time that access to news sites has been blocked in Guinea. As reported previously on the Monitor, access to the news sites Guineematin.com, Mediaguinee.com and Mosaiqueguinee.com, was blocked from 9th May 2023, ahead of mass political protests against the military transitional authorities.
13 journalists arrested during peaceful protest against censorship of news site
During a protest on 16th October 2023, organised by the Syndicate of Press Professionals of Guinea (SPPG) in the Conakry district of Kaloum, security forces dispersed protesters, assaulted at least three journalists, detained a total of 13 journalists and destroyed journalists’ equipment.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), police officers and gendarmes insulted, beat, kicked and shot tear gas at journalists Mariam Sall of Espace TV, Mariama Bhoye Barry of Cavi TV and Amadou Lama Diallo of Guinée Matin as they covered the protest. Police arrested ten other journalists who were participating in the protest. The 13 journalists were charged with ‘criminal participation in a prohibited gathering on the public highway’ and released.
The SPPG gathering aimed to protest against the restrictions on access to the news site guineematin.com, which has been inaccessible in Guinea since mid-August 2023 (see above).
#Guinée🇬🇳: le média Dépêche Guinée&son directeur de publication, Abdoul Latif Diallo, suspendus pour 1 mois. Le souci du respect de l'éthique journalistique par l'autorité de régulation (HAC) ne peut justifier cette décision disproportionnée & abusive. RSF demande son annulation. pic.twitter.com/tPOmdNRogz
— RSF (@RSF_inter) September 13, 2023
Media regulator suspends newspaper and its editor
On 11th September 2023, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), Guinea’s media regulator, issued a suspension order, prohibiting the news site Dépêche Guinée and its publisher, Abdoul Latif Diallo, from publishing reports for a period of one month. The HAC accuses the media outlet of ‘failing to verify and cross-check information’ in an article published on 20th August 2023 on alleged corruption and mismanagement at Guinea’s legal bar, the Guinea Bar Association. The HAC said in its suspension order that it had received a complaint from the Bar Association against the media outlet and the publisher for ‘defamation’ and ‘violating ethical and deontological principles of the journalistic profession’.
Guinea: four dead in clashes with security forces on the eve of coup anniversary https://t.co/eDo0vagiFP
— africanews 😷 (@africanews) September 6, 2023
Peaceful Assembly
At least four people killed in protest to demand a return to civilian rule
On the evening of 4th September and on 5th September 2023, the second anniversary of the military coup, people gathered and protested to demand a return to civilian rule on the call of Forces Vives de Guinée, a coalition of opposition parties, trade unions and civil society organisations, despite the blanket ban on public protests in force since May 2022. In some outskirts of Conakry, clashes occurred between protesters and security forces, resulting in at least four young people being killed by live ammunition, according to the organisers of the protests. A large contingent of security forces was reportedly deployed in Conakry.
The Forces Vives coalition accuse the military junta of not having undertaken anything regarding the transfer of power to civilian rule:
There is still no draft Constitution, no electoral code, no election management body, no technical operator, nor electoral register or realistic election budget.
- Forces Vives de Guinée
They further accuse the military authorities of confiscating power, repressing freedoms and enriching themselves.
On 29th September 2023, the junta re-affirmed their commitment to respect the two-year deadline for the organisation of elections, as agreed with the regional bloc ECOWAS.
Guinée: des mouvements de contestation réclament électricité et eau potable https://t.co/1cDbv5QJ8d pic.twitter.com/Zejpo3VihK
— RFI Afrique (@RFIAfrique) September 22, 2023
Protests to demand running drinking water and electricity
At least three people were injured when security forces reportedly used live ammunition against protesters in Boffa on 18th September 2023. The protesters gathered to demand access to electricity and drinkable water. In Lola, south eastern Guinea, people likewise protested on 19th September 2023 to demand electricity and water. Security forces did not intervene and the protests went ahead without incident.