**Updates IFEX alerts of 16, 10 and 7 December 1999** (RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to President Lansana Conté, RSF protested the expulsion of Saliou Samb, editor-in-chief of the private weekly “L’Indépendant Plus”, to Ghana. RSF asked Conté to see to it that the journalist can freely return to Guinea. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, […]
**Updates IFEX alerts of 16, 10 and 7 December 1999**
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to President Lansana Conté, RSF protested the expulsion of Saliou Samb, editor-in-chief of the private weekly “L’Indépendant Plus”, to Ghana. RSF asked Conté to see to it that the journalist can freely return to Guinea. Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general, added that “this journalist did nothing more than freely exercise his profession, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Guinea.” The organisation also asked the president to see to it that journalists with the newspapers “L’Indépendant” and “L’Indépendant Plus” be allowed to return to their offices to resume their work.
According to RSF’s information, in the week of 27 December 1999, Samb was expelled to Ghana. The journalist had been detained since 15 December in Conakry. No explanation was offered for this latest measure. In early December, “L’Indépendant Plus” had published an inquiry on corruption which implicated the Guinean government. In addition, on 4 December, Aboubacar Sylla, owner of the weekly newspapers “L’Indépendant” and “L’Indépendant Plus”, was arrested by twelve armed men. He was released two days later. On 7 December, police officers expelled the personnel of the two publications and closed their offices. On 9 December, the police seized all the copies of “L’Indépendant”. To this day, no complaint has been filed against the two weeklies’ management.
