Ivory Coast
2011
New Ivory Coast president must improve press freedom
Dear President Ouattara: We are writing to ask that you uphold press freedom now that you have taken office. We ask that you ensure that journalists and media outlets close to former president Laurent Gbagbo are allowed to report freely, and take all necessary steps to solve the disappearance since 2004 of French-Canadian journalist Guy-André Kieffer.
In Ivory Coast, Gbabgo and Ouattara camps attack press
New York, March 28, 2011–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns ongoing attacks, threats, and intimidation against journalists and news outlets covering the bloody political standoff in Ivory Coast. The government and supporters of incumbent ruler Laurent Gbagbo have been targeting newspapers critical of Gbagbo while rebel fighters backing his U.N.-backed rival Alassane Ouattara have also…
In Ivory Coast, journalists pick sides or flee
Reporting on the power struggle in Ivory Coast is increasingly perilous, with journalists facing a climate of threats, intimidation, and attacks that has forced many to choose between adopting partisan coverage or fleeing to safety. “Here, we are in a situation where if you are not with one camp, then you are against them. You…
Gbagbo forces block pro-Ouattara papers in Ivory Coast
New York, March 14, 2011–Security forces loyal to Ivorian ruler Laurent Gbagbo blocked distribution on Friday of pro-opposition newspapers reporting on the African Union’s decision to confirm its recognition of rival Alassane Ouattara as president. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the obstruction and calls on authorities to halt further censorship.
Ivory Coast political camps target rival media outlets
New York, March 1, 2011–Supporters behind incumbent Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo and rival Alassane Ouattara are targeting rival partisan media oulets and their journalists in an increasingly bloody struggle for power, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In Ivory Coast, police harass pro-Ouattara editors
New York, February 18, 2011–Ivorian police in the economic capital, Abidjan, interrogated and issued summonses for questioning this week for editors of newspapers favorable to former presidential candidate Alassane Ouattara, according to local journalists. The U.N. has recognized Ouattara as the president-elect since disputed November 2010 runoff elections against President Laurent Gbagbo.
Ivory Coast using media regulation to censor critics
New York, February 10, 2011–Incumbent Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has moved to silence critical media under the guise of media regulation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today, following a week in which Gbagbo’s administration tightened control over the official print media regulatory agency and ordered United Nations-sponsored radio network ONUCI FM off the air.
The struggle continues for power, and media, in Ivory Coast
In Ivory Coast, the tense post-election dispute between incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and rival and self-proclaimed president-elect Alassane Ouattara is a power struggle for control of national institutions–including the sole state media outlet, Radiodiffusion Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI).