Benin: Journalist Casimir Kpedjo Detained, Facing False News Accusations in Benin

Goma, Congo — Beninese authorities should drop their investigation into Casimir Kpedjo, editor of the privately owned daily Nouvelle Economie, and allow him to report and publish news without fear of harassment or being jailed, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On April 18, police arrested Kpedjo at his home in Cotonou, Benin's economic capital, and held him at a local police station until April 23, when the country's special prosecutor for economic crimes and terrorism accused the journalist of violating Article 550 of Benin's digital code by allegedly spreading false information about the Beninese economy on social networks, according to the journalist and his lawyer, Renaud Abgodjo, who both spoke with CPJ.

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