"Press in danger":"Mass media under permanent harassment in the IVORY COAST"!

Le 29 novembre 2011 par IVOIREBUSINESS - Journalism remains till today one the greatest powers and assets in the world: Journalists who somehow stung powerful persons with their pens

feared not only gunmen, but also libel suits and arrest orders... Such harassment seemed to be a set pattern, commencing in West Africa when president "ALLASANE OUATARA" took over in APRIL 2011! In the IVORY COAST, libel suits targeted newspapers mainly close to former president "Laurent Gbagbo". In the same trend government officials asserted that most of the left wing daily newspapers were seditious and injurious to president "ALLASSANE OUATTARA's person, because it imputes to him a lot of african shortcomings: backward bureaucracy, nepotism, general speaking lack of government capacity... including crimes, murders, salvaging, coercion and intimidation of witness, permanent violations of the fundamental human rights by his rebel soldiers. Even if few other lawyers close to the left wing sought the dismissal of most cases due to various irregularities desperately; on the other hand, ivorian journalists tried to fight bacK in the Ivory COAST. In the same trend, the international french reporter organization" called "reporters without boarders"(reporters sans frontières)' aim is to protect journalists rights and freedom of speech and information" as far as deontology and professional ethics are concerned! A few journalists in the "Ivory Coast" launched recently a warning called "press under siege and crucified", a kind of libellous and committed articles which included ivorian press freedom of speech and investigation. Meanwhile, president "ALLASANE OUATTARA" seems to be more a big traveller than an african determined leader. Though he is in apparently in a good mood, president "ALLASANE OUATTARA" has got other troubles: He is loosing gradually the entire support of his main allies: USA and FRANCE. That's why his next trip to PARIS has been recently postponed deliberately by the french government...In addition to that crucial reality, permanent violations of the fundamental human rights, lack of security in the IVORY COAST, nepotism and bureaucracy are becoming an embarrassment to his main allies! Down the line, most of the ivorian journalists will unquestionably sign a statement of concern protesting against the continuing assault on press freedom that will force the current ivorian regime to temper the press situation in the Ivory Coast! They've got no choice, because it's the only alternative right now to raise the conscious high in this so called no man's land, where permanent violations of the fundamental human rights remain the only cup of coffee each an every day!
(Yves T BOUAZO)