Congo-Brazzaville: Police Beat Journalists Covering Opposition Candidate's Arrival

press release

Reporters Without Borders condemns the action of the police in beating journalists who went to Brazzaville's Maya-Maya airport to cover the arrival of Gen. Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, a newly declared presidential candidate. The violence was clearly designed to prevent pluralistic media coverage of next month's election.

About a dozen journalists were the victims of the violence, which occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on 9 February as they awaited Gen. Mokoko's arrival. A former adviser to President Denis Sassou Nguesso and currently based in Bangui as special representative of the African Union president, Mokoko announced his decision last week to run in the presidential election that was brought forward to 20 March.

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