The International Federation of Journalists and the West African Journalists’ Association (WAJA) today condemned the arrest and detention of a journalist in Burkina Faso.
On 5 November, Matthieu N’Do, co-director of the weekly San Fina was detained by national police at the Ouagadougou airport, as he returned from an investigative trip to the Ivory Coast. He has been imprisoned at the police barracks of the ‘Compagnie Républicaine de Sécurité (CRS)’ since his arrest without permission to contact his family or colleagues.
“This case harks back to the tragic assassination of reporter Norbert Zongo,” said Ibrahim Famakan Coulibaly, President of WAJA, during the course of a West African regional conference in Dakar, Sénégal. “His arrest is a totally unacceptable and arbitrary decision”.
Protests organized by the Journalists’ Association of Burkina (AJB) and the Burkina Human Rights Movement have had little to no effect.
“Matthieu N’Do has not even been allowed to consult a lawyer,” said Jean Claude Méda, President of the AJB. “His case smacks of a real effort to censure a leading media representative”.
The IFJ and the WAJA remain extremely concerned over the motives behind the arrest of their colleague and demand a public explanation by the Burkina authorities. Both organizations strongly condemn the illegal arrest and detention of N’Do and are calling for his immediate release.
For Further information contact Bertrand Ginet (IFJ): +32 473 863 660
The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries
