Guinea: Freedom of expression strongly attacked since the arrival of Mr. Alpha Condé to power.
"Human rights defenders, including journalists, trade unionists, civil society activists, continue to be summoned by police, arrested and detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression . And to report that at least 27 journalists have been arrested since 2015.
Journalists Moussa Moïse Sylla from the Hadafo Medias group, Ibrahima Sory Traoré from the Guinea 7 site and Youssouf Sylla from Guineenews. "
These journalists from these different local media are summoned to appear, on the day of the investiture of Mr. Alpha Condé for the 3rd time, before the Court of First Instance (TPI) of Kaloum, Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 8 a.m.
In 2019, the administrator of the Le Lynx press group, Souleymane Diallo, and a journalist from the radio station of the same group, Boubacar Diallo, were charged with defamation and placed under judicial supervision on August 19 and 20 respectively in Conakry.
Judicial review finally lifted on August 27. These lawsuits follow an intervention on Lynx FM radio by a listener accusing the Guinean Minister of Defense, Mohamed Diané, of having embezzled money intended for Guinean peacekeepers at the UN Mission in Mali. (Minusma).
Souleymane Diallo, "dean of the private press", was prosecuted in particular for disseminating data likely to disturb public security through a computer system.
Guinea occupies the 107th position in the 2019 ranking of the press defense organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), out of a total of 180 countries.
"Mr. Condé's regime is not kind to the press, the president often makes harsh remarks towards national and international media, and press freedom organizations.
The authorities regularly attempt to censor the media critical of the government under administrative or legal pretexts, ”notes RSF.
In a statement, the organization denounced "the judicial harassment of the press.
Former historic opponent, Alpha Condé, elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2015, is the first democratically elected president of this former French colony in West Africa, previously ruled by civil or military dictatorships.
Aged 83, Mr. Condé has just been re-elected for the 3rd time by modifying the Constitution in order to keep power in continuity, at the end of his last constitutional mandate.
