Burkina Faso - Two French Journalists Expelled By the Military Authorities Amid Crackdown On Foreign Media

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Press, media, newspapers.
3 April 2023
International Federation of Journalists (Brussels)
press release

Correspondents Sophie Douce and Agnès Faivre left the capital, Ouagadougou, on 1 April, and arrived in Paris the next day, after being notified of their expulsion by the military authorities, Le Monde and Libération reported on Sunday. Both newspapers have accused the Burkinabe authorities of "seeking to stifle freedom of speech with an escalating crackdown on foreign media".

According to an editorial article published by Libération on 2 April: "The two are journalists of perfect integrity and worked in Burkina Faso legally with valid visas and accreditation. We strongly protest against these absolutely unjustifiable expulsions." Libération suggested that the expulsions were linked to an investigation that it published on 27 March in which "a video was filmed showing children and adolescents being executed in a military barracks by at least one soldier".

The director of Le Monde, Jérôme Fenoglio, said in a statement that "these two expulsions are a new and major setback in the freedom to inform people about the situation in Burkina Faso".

The government's spokesperson, Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo, criticised the reaction of the French media as a "manipulation disguised as journalism to tarnish the image of the country".

The expulsion of Douce and Faivre comes amidst an escalating crackdown on foreign media and, particularly, French media, carried out by Burkinabe military authorities. On 27 March, the military junta announced the indefinite suspension of French international TV channel France 24 in the country, arguing that it had aired answers provided by the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. On 3 December 2022, the authorities blocked Radio France Internationale (RFI) from broadcasting in similar circumstances.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger condemned the expulsion of French journalists and described it as a deliberate attempt to silence foreign media and to intimidate all journalists working in Burkina Faso to deter them from publishing information about atrocities committed by the military regime. "This is a serious blow to freedom of expression and media freedom not only in the country but throughout the West African region. The Burkinabe military authorities must allow independent media to perform its duties without any form of intimidation and must ensure the public's right to know.

Read the original article on IFJ.

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