By RFIPubliée on 16-06-2019Modified on 16-06-2019 at 20:33
Two French journalists were brutally arrested Saturday, June 15 during the dispersal of a banned protest in Bangui. Security forces confiscated or destroyed their equipment. These are two AFP correspondents accredited in the Central African Republic: Charles Bouessel and Florent Vergnes.
The two AFP confreres were covering a banned demonstration and everything was going well until the security forces dispersed the protesters.
When everyone hears real shots - warning shots - things go wrong.
Police officers, who fear that the reporters have filmed the scene, then rush on them. Officials of the OCRB, the Central African Office for the Suppression of Banditry, catch their camera, throw it to the ground and smash it. They are also taking their camera and their phones.
The two reporters, duly accredited, are then taken to the OCRB, where they say they were beaten - punched, kicked and beaten - before being handed over to the DSPJ. federal police.
They will be released after a custody of six hours. One of them had his injuries noted by a doctor this Sunday morning. The medical certificate speaks, among other things, of hematomas in the face and in the back.
The Central African Minister of Justice, Flavien Mbata, told AFP that the two journalists " were arrested because they were on the scene of a demonstration prohibited by the police ."
The police should have done otherwise, that is to say to protect the journalists instead of preventing them from doing their job: to inform the world about what is happening in Bangui ... They have covered a lot of events whether in Bangui, be it inside the country. I myself had to carry out missions several times with these two confreres inside the country. They are not in Bangui in a hiding situation ... All those who tried to take the information were threatened and others fled. I had testimonials from some confreres who also fled to safety. All those who took pictures, videos, were threatened, but they were not brutalized, arrested, like the two confreres.
Fridolin Ngoulou, director of Radio Frequency RJDH denounces their arrest
16-06-2019 - By Michel Arseneault
AFP stresses that the two journalists are duly accredited in Bangui
Boris Bachorz, Africa director of AFP
16-06-2019 - By Michel Arseneault
" I think this case is a good test for the Central African authorities. They have the opportunity to show that the Central African Republic is a country where journalists, whether foreign or not, can work safely. They are an opportunity to do this first by investigating the violence suffered by our two journalists and by ensuring that all their material is returned to them, the material that is still in a state of being, since as I speak to you I have absolutely no certainty about whether our two colleagues still have their papers, which were also removed, their money, their cell phones, all that disappeared, "RFI told RFI Boris Bachorz, Africa director of AFP.
Asked whether charges have been brought against the two journalists, it is still early to know. " The Department of Justice tells us that they will make a decision tomorrow tomorrow, Monday. It is obvious that, in our opinion, no charge can be retained since it concerns two journalists duly accredited to Central African Central Authorities for several years who were doing nothing but their work, "he said. RFI Boris Bachorz.
#RCA @RSF_inter vigorously condemns the assault of two French journalists, beaten Saturday by the OCRB police while covering an opposition demonstration and detained six hours in custody. These abuses should not go unpunished pic.twitter.com/ZeOynq7nc0
RSF (@RSF_inter) June 16, 2019Reporters Without Borders calls on the Central African authorities to punish the security forces who mistreated the two French journalists.
We are outraged by the attitude of OCRB police officers who made use of the force completely disproportionate. The journalists were only covering an event, which was certainly forbidden, but they were fully entitled to cover the event. And at the time of the dispersal, when there was live fire that the two journalists were forcibly detained and then interrogated. Attempts were made to mount completely false and mounted charges against them. They were accused of participating in the organization of this event. It should be noted that it is journalists who have been there for at least a year, or two, well-known journalists who have ended up being released, but the charges have not been dropped. We demand that the charges be dropped and that those responsible for this aggression be identified and punished.
Arnaud Froger of RSF: "We ask that the charges be dropped and that those responsible for this attack be identified and punished"
16-06-2019 - By Michel Arseneault
On the same subject
RCA: The First United Front for the Defense of the Dispersed Nation
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