IFJ Demands Immediate Release of Senegalese Editor

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Senegalese authorities for the release of Moussa Guèye, Editor of the private daily newspaper L’Exclusif, detained for four days after the publication of articles having allegedly offended the President of the Republic and his Principal Private Secretary. Another journalist of L’Exclusif, Justin Ndoye is wanted by the police.

“We condemn the unacceptable violence of the police during Moussa’s arrest,” said Khady Diatou Cisse, Vice president of IFJ. “We call on the police to release Moussa immediately, and the judicial authorities to give him fair judicial process in this case.”

On Monday evening at around 21 hours, Moussa Guèye went to an appointment scheduled on the telephone by an unknown person. He was arrested on arrival by members of the Division of Criminal Investigations (DIC).

According to Walf Grand Place newspaper, when Guèye asked to be shown the warrant for his arrest, the police officers slapped and handcuffed him before driving to the headquarters of his newspaper located in the town of Rufisque, 28 km from the capital city, Dakar. There the DIC agents “slapped and beat” the layout editor of the newspaper who had asked the reasons of their presence. According to the same source, the police officers toured for hours in the city looking for the journalist Justin Ndoye who was out of the office, before returning to Dakar with Moussa.

In its Monday’s edition, an article of L’Exclusif authored by Justin Ndoye talked about “night jaunts” of President Abdoulaye Wade and his Principal Private Secretary Pape Samba Mboup. Last week another story published by the paper said that the President’s son Karim Wade had “reprimanded Pape Mboup Samba”. Local media say that Guèye‘s arrest is in relation to these stories which offended the President and his Principal Private Secretary.

Moussa Guèye, who has not yet been charged, is detained at the General Affairs Division of the DIC in Dakar. His lawyer has not yet had access to him four days after he had been arrested. This morning, the Sales Manager of L’Exclusif was summoned by the DIC.

For more information contact the IFJ at + 221 33 842 01 43
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 114 countries worldwide