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| Gabon election marred by media censorship, says CPJ
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New York, US (PANA) -
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned w
hat it called "Gabonese government censorship and restrictions on media coverage
of Sunday's presidential election, including denial of accreditation to at least
four international journalists".
In a statement from its headquarters in New York, US, the CPJ said that prior to
the election, Gabonese government authorities denied accreditations to internat
i
onal journalists from French media outlets, including international broadcaster
F
rance 24 and weekly L'Express, which were known for their probing coverage of la
t
e President Bongo's health and wealth.
It named the journalists barred as Virginie Herz and Nicolas Germain of France 2
4, Vincent Hugeux of L'Express, and Gervais Nitcheu of French public service tel
e
vision
RFO-AITV.
The CPJ said that last week, Communications Minister Laure Olga Gondjout, who is
also spokeswoman for presidential candidate Ali Ben Bongo, issued a series of d
i
rectives restricting media access to the polling stations.
However, the directives were not enforced, according to local journalists.
"Instead of supporting media coverage of this important election in Gabon, the C
ommunications Ministry has arbitrarily harassed and censored local and foreign j
o
urnalists," said CPJ Africa Programme Coordinator, Tom Rhodes.
He added that "The new cabinet must make a fresh start and allow the press in Ga
bon to report freely."
Three front-runners have emerged in the fiercely contested election to determine
a successor to Omar Bongo, who died in June after a 41-year rule.
They are Ali Ben Bongo, the late president's son; veteran opposition leader, Pie
rre Mamboundou, and André Mba Obame, a former interior minister.
As all sides compete to shape perceptions ahead of Wednesday's scheduled announc
ement of official results, their supporters have exerted intense pressure on loc
a
l and international media.
TV+, a station owned by presidential candidate Obame, suddenly lost its signal o
n Sunday after airing a 2005 interview with the late president, according to rep
o
rts. Bongo had said in that
interview that the country was not a monarchy.
The head of the national media regulator, the National Communications Council, d
id not could not say whether the government interrupted the signal but said the
B
ongo interview constituted "propaganda" in violation of campaign law, the report
s
said.
Africa 24, a France-based international satellite broadcaster, reported Tuesday
that its team of journalists in Libreville had been directed to leave the countr
y
immediately.
Speaking to CPJ from Libreville, News Director Thierry Hot said his newsroom rec
eived a call
from Christophe Othamot, the secretary-general of Gabon's Communications Ministr
y, accusing the station of biased coverage, and threatening to withhold accredit
a
tion in the future.
The threats were linked to the station's independent reporting of polling estima
tes unfavorable to the ruling party's candidate, according to local journalists.
The journalists were allowed to stay after the Interior Ministry intervened, acc
ording to Hot.
Blaise Mengué Menna, who runs the private bimonthly Tango, told CPJ his newspap
er's distributors, Soga Presse, received a directive from Othamot on 11 August o
r
dering it not to publicly distribute the paper's latest edition.
That edition of Tango, which had 1,500 copies, included published photographs of
police dispersing an opposition demonstration on 7 August, he said.
The Gabonese Media Observatory, a media self-regulating body, condemned the orde
r, noting that only the National Communications Council had powers to suspend me
d
ia outlets.
Nonetheless, the issue was not distributed, said Menna.
On Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the "peaceful" preside
ntial elections in Gabon, calling on the people of the African nation to continu
e
supporting the democratic process.
He urged all Gabonese â?to ensure that the will of the people is respected".
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, non-profit organization that works to safe
guard press freedom worldwide.
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| New York - 02/09/2009 |
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