16 May 2008

Alert

Journalist detained, assaulted by police, continues to fear for his safety


Incident details

Isaac Baldé

journalist(s)

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(MFWA/IFEX) - Isaac Baldé, a correspondent of Familiar FM, a radio station based in Pita, a region located in the northeast of the country, 400km from the capital Conakry, was on 8 May 2008 arrested and detained by the police for allegedly undermining the authorities and tarnishing the reputation of the region.

Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the journalist was allegedly assaulted and detained for about six hours before being freed on the orders of Mamadou Bô Keita, Minister of National Security and Interior.

The journalist's dictaphone and wrist watch were confiscated.

The correspondent said the journalist's predicament came as a result of a news report he sent to Familiar FM in which he stated that one person in the region had died as a result of a disturbance that erupted over the sale of rice.

According to Baldé, his life is in danger, since the policemen have threatened to "deal with him".

"The policemen have threatened to eliminate me physically if I don't leave Pita", he told the correspondent.



Source

Media Foundation for West Africa
PO Box LG 730
30 Duade Street, Kokomlemle
Legon, Accra
Ghana
alerts (@) mediafound.org
Phone: +233 21 242470
Fax: +233 21 221084

Guinea

Journalist and his family held incommunicado 5 June 2009 TV journalist Fana Soumah suspended indefinitely for allegedly "broadcasting false information" 9 April 2009 Journalist Saa Momori Koundouno brutalised, briefly detained while covering clash between soldiers and youth group 20 March 2009 Radio journalists Ibrahima Sadio Bah, Amadou Diouldé Diallo suspended indefinitely for "violating the station's editorial policy" 20 February 2009 Cameraman detained briefly, his film destroyed 14 January 2009

West Africa

NIGERIA: RSF urges president to take action following recent attacks on media 2 July 2009 MAURITANIA: Detained website editor faces up to five years in prison 2 July 2009 NIGERIA: CPJ urges inspector general to probe police harassment, assault 1 July 2009 THE GAMBIA: Detained journalist granted bail 29 June 2009 THE GAMBIA: Court convicts newspaper editor for "publishing false information" 26 June 2009