On June 18, 2025, authorities in the Central African Republic arrested Fiacre Salabé, publishing director of the privately owned site Yacanews.com, questioned him about his journalism activities in the southwestern town of Boda, and later accused him of complicity in fraud, along with Cameroonian journalist Christian Locka.
Salabé told CPJ that, on June 18, a prosecutor ordered his detention, along with Locka, who accompanied Salabé while he was reporting on logging in Boda.
Salabé and Locka were taken into custody at the Boda gendarmerie and interrogated about their presence as journalists in the town.
Salabe said that two days after his arrest the prosecutor, who had promised to release them on June 19, alleged that a complaint had been filed by a magistrate for fraud.
Locka and Salabé said that in the complaint, which they reviewed, the magistrate, who served in Bangui, alleged that he had been defrauded in the context of a vehicle purchase by a Cameroonian named “Eric” and an unidentified accomplice from the Central African Republic.
The journalists said they denied being the wanted people and requested a meeting with their accuser, which was denied.
Salabé and Locka told CPJ they were released on June 25 without charge or any formal legal proceedings.
CPJ's calls to the Central African Ministry of Justice, Promotion of Human Rights, and Good Governance in mid-September went unanswered.