Press freedom in Burkina Faso: Trade union centre and independent unions in the spotlight

Statement on serious violations of press freedom and the right to information

Recently, the Burkina Faso authorities and their supporters have taken further steps to tighten their grip on democratic freedoms and citizens’ rights. Press freedom and citizens’ right to information are of particular concern. These repressive measures include:

– On June 24, 2024, at 5 am, journalist Atiana Serge OULON, publishing director of the investigative newspaper L’Evénement, was kidnapped without any arrest warrant when he had to attend the trial brought by his agency against Adama SIGUIRE. Defamation and insult; Strangely, during this kidnapping, the people who appeared at his home as agents of the National Intelligence Service confiscated his mobile phone and laptop;

– The High Communications Council (CSC) suspended the activity for one month on June 20, 2024;

– The CSC issued a formal notice to online newspaper Lefaso.net on June 19, 2024, asking it to strengthen the comment moderation system on its platform;

– While recognizing the professionalism of the show host, the CSC suspended the prime-time show “7Infos” on BF1 TV for two weeks on June 20, 2024 for subjective reasons;

– Kalifara SERE, a columnist for the BF1 TV program 7Infos, was kidnapped following a hearing by the CSC regarding false information he had provided on the BF1 TV program 7Infos, despite his apology to the CSC at the time on the show and a summons issued against him by the Ouagadougou Regional Judicial Police;

– Supporters of the power, known as “wayyans”, swarmed the headquarters of BF1 with the aim of threatening the news agency with regard to some of its programs and the people it invited. The powers that be explicitly threatened to “sanction in the most severe way and remove from the list” those media and social network actors “whose information would damage the state and its authorities”;

– There have been rumors of the kidnapping of Adama BAYALA, another columnist for the Presse echo program on the same BF1 TV station, since June 29, 2024. According to information posted by the journalist on the Facebook page of the Faso National Consumer Network (Rencof), the journalist has been missing since June 28, 2024.

Just prior to these latest measures, media regulator CSC announced that TV5 monde had been suspended for six months and ordered to pay a fine of 50 million CFA francs.

Our observation is that all repressive measures against the media and citizens are being taken under the pretext of the war on terror.

The Alliance Action Unit is committed to respecting individual and collective freedoms, in particular freedom of the press and the right of citizens to be informed:

– Condemns the repeated sanctions against the press, which daily reduce the space for press freedom in our country;

– Condemns and condemns the kidnapping of Mr. Atiana Serge OULON, Publishing Director of the newspaper “The Affair”, and columnist Kalifara SERE;

– Calls on the political authorities to stop exploiting the security situation to increase repeated violations of the Constitution and laws. She firmly believes that silencing all critical voices will neither help defeat terrorism nor contribute to the development of the country;

– Express solidarity and encouragement to the press;

– The Democratic Party called on its activists and supporters to condemn the attacks on press freedom and support the public’s right to information.

Signed:

For the Union Center

Olivier Guy Ouedraogo

Secretary General/CSB

For independent unions

WINDYAM ZONGO

Secretary General/SYNAPAGER