English (
http://en.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-two-reporters-for-northern-tv-31-01-2011,39434.html
)
For French version (
http://fr.rsf.org/cote-d-ivoire-deux-journalistes-de-television-31-01-2011,39430.html
)

*Reporters Without Borders (**http://www.rsf.org* <http://www.rsf.org>*)*
*Alert*

31 January 2011

*COTE D'IVOIRE*

*Two reporters for northern TV station arrested as “rebels” on arrival in
Abidjan*

Reporters Without Borders calls for the immediate release of two journalists
employed by *Télévision Notre Patrie (TVNP)* – a pirate TV station based in
the northern city of Bouaké that supports the former rebel New Force – who
were arrested on their arrival in Abidjan on 28 January.



The two journalists – *Sanogo Aboubakar*, aka *Abou Sanogo*, and *Kangbé
Yayoro Charles Lopez*, aka *Gnahoré Charly* – had wanted to do a series of
reports at the Golf Hotel, where presidential contender Alassane Ouattara is
holed up. Accused of being rebels, they are being held at the gendarmerie’s
criminal investigation department in the Abidjan district of Plateau.



Reporters Without Borders condemns the false accusations being made against
them. They did not go to Abidjan not for the purpose of criminal activity.
They went as journalists representing a TV station that happens to be siding
with Ouattara in his dispute over the result of last November’s presidential
election with the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo.



The press freedom organization also deplores the way that state-owned
*Radio-Télévision
Ivoirienne* and the pro-Gbagbo print media have been portraying the two
journalists as rebels who had come to Abidjan to participate in an armed
attack.



Sanogo and Charly left Bouaké for Abidjan at about 3 p.m. on 28 January
aboard a flight operated by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte
d'Ivoire (ONUCI). They were arrested on their arrival at the Abidjan air
base by members of the Defence and Security Forces (FDS).



Two months after a dispute over the result of the second round of the
presidential election on 28 November triggered a still unresolved political
crisis, there has been little improvement in the situation for either
Ivorian or foreign journalists. Local reporters say they are being harassed
by both sides.



*Tiburce Koffi*, a contributor to *Le Nouveau Réveil*, a newspaper that
supports former President Henri Konan Bédié, and *Venance Konan*, a
correspondent of *Afrique Magazine*, both recently fled Côte d'Ivoire
claiming they had been threatened by Gbagbo supporters.



At the same time, *Silué Kanigui*, who is said to have been a correspondent
in the northern town of Korhogo for the pro-Gbagbo daily *Notre Voie*,
claims that he had to flee to Abidjan for safety reasons.



Referring to Kanigui, *Notre Voie* editor *César Etou* told Reporters
Without Borders: “He is not the only one in this situation. All the
journalists in the north who were not members of the [pro-Ouattara] RHDP
have been forced to flee.”  Etou is on the list of people targeted for
sanctions by the European Union.

----
Ambroise PIERRE
Bureau Afrique / Africa Desk
Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris, France
Tel : (33) 1 44 83 84 76
Fax : (33) 1 45 23 11 51
Email : [log in to unmask] / [log in to unmask]
Web : www.rsf.org
Twitter : RSF_RWB


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