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Alert

Two journalists suspended indefinitely for neglecting to publish photograph of the president

(MFWA/IFEX) - On 4 October 2006, Ibrahima Sory Dieng, managing director, and Alhassane Souare, editor-in-chief of the state-owned newspaper "Horoya", were suspended indefinitely by the minister of information Aboubacar Sylla, for not publishing a photograph of President Lassana Conte of Guinea alongside his speech.

According to a Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA-Guinea) source, at about 5:00 p.m. (local time), when issue 6420 of the 29-30 September edition of the "Horoya" was being printed, Minister Sylla ordered the printing to be stopped and asked Souare to publish a speech by President Conte, commemorating the 48th independence anniversary celebration of the country.

Following the order, the newspaper's editor had to use his personal cash to pay for the cost of scanning Conte's speech. The speech was subsequently published but without an accompanying photograph of the president.

The "Horoya" newspaper is in a dire financial crisis and does not publish regularly.

MFWA is seriously dismayed at the decision by the minister to suspend the two journalists. We are particularly horrified by this highhanded decision which grossly undermines the spirit and letter of the constitutional stipulation of the 1990 Constitution of Guinea, which guarantees freedom and editorial independence of state-owned media.

The MFWA believes that the suspension of the journalists is arbitrary and that the consequences of this act cast a shadow of doom on the exercise of the fundamental and constitutionally guaranteed right to media freedom and freedom of expression in Guinea.

MFWA urgently calls on the minister to reinstate the two journalists immediately.