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Alert

Freelance journalist held incommunicado in military camp

(MFWA/IFEX) - El Bechir Diallo, a freelance journalist, is currently being held at PM3, a military camp in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

The Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that El Bechir was abducted on the morning of August 11, 2011 by officials of the Criminal Investigations Department (DPJ) of the Guinean police for no apparent reason.

Although the journalist has not been charged with any offence, the correspondent said his family members have not been allowed to contact him.

"El Bechir received a telephone call from an unknown person who asked him to come and pick up a bag of rice and money for Ramadan. El Bechir met CID officers who forcibly sent him to the DPJ. His family has not heard from him since," the correspondent said.

MFWA is disappointed that despite progress made by Guinea in democratic governance, journalists and citizens are still held without recourse to the laws of the country.

"We condemn the abduction of El Bechir and call on the authorities to either release him or put him before a court of law," said MFWA.