(RSF/IFEX) – On 8 December 2004, the National Communications Board (Conseil national de la communication, CNC), Guinea’s media regulatory body, announced the lifting of a suspension order against “Le Quotidien” newspaper. The paper was suspended “indefinitely” more than three weeks ago and its editorial team is experiencing serious financial difficulties as a result of the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 8 December 2004, the National Communications Board (Conseil national de la communication, CNC), Guinea’s media regulatory body, announced the lifting of a suspension order against “Le Quotidien” newspaper. The paper was suspended “indefinitely” more than three weeks ago and its editorial team is experiencing serious financial difficulties as a result of the forced closure.
“We applaud this decision, as late as it is,” said RSF. “We maintain that Siaka Kouyaté, the [paper’s] publication director and author of the offending article [that resulted in the suspension], did not violate any rules of journalistic conduct and that the newspaper did not deserve such a heavy penalty. ‘Le Quotidien’ must be allowed to resume publishing without delay. We hope that there will be no further obstacles to its publication and distribution,” RSF concluded.
Following international pressure, threatening phone calls to Kouyaté stopped a few days after the paper’s suspension. But Kouyaté and “Le Quotidien”‘s entire editorial team found themselves and their families under serious financial strain as a result of the CNC decision.
