On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 30 African and international media, including RFI and France 24, published an open letter addressed on 3 May 2023 to the authorities of Burkina Faso and Mali, but also to the entire international community.
As pressure and death threats against domestic and foreign journalists increase in both countries, the signatories of this text are concerned about threats to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. "The measures taken by the authorities of Burkina Faso, especially in recent months, are likely to call into question the fundamental right of citizens to be informed," they write in this collective text. "Freedom begins where ignorance ends," they add, recalling the recent arrests and imprisonments of journalists and opinion leaders in Mali.
"In Burkina Faso as in Mali, these attacks are increasingly relayed on social networks by 'influencers' favorable to the military regimes of these two countries, who play vigilante and do not hesitate to threaten with death journalists and opinion leaders too independent in their eyes," the signatories of the letter are alarmed. These include journalists' rights organizations, such as the International Union of Francophone Press (UPF) or the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), as well as human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
Quoting the Burkinabe daily L'Observateur Paalga, the authors of the open letter claim that "the establishment of a regime of terror is accompanied by a wave of fake news that floods social networks with untruth". According to them, "the first victims of these 'influencers' are the Malian and Burkinabe populations, who are deprived of democratic debate."
Saying they are "aware of their responsibilities", but also of "the political, geopolitical and military complexity" in these countries, the 30 signatories affirm: "The fight against terrorism must in no way be used as a pretext to impose a new standard of information and to restrict the fundamental rights of the Malian and Burkinabe populations to seek and have access to information through professional and independent media".
The drafting of this "appeal of the thirty" was coordinated by the sub-Saharan Africa desk of Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Open letter for the protection of journalists and the defence of freedom of expression and press freedom in Mali and Burkina Faso
- Mr. Chairperson of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union,
- Mr. President of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government,
- Mr. President of the WAEMU Conference of Heads of State and Government,
- Mr. Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
- Mr. President of the ECOWAS Commission,
- Mr. President of the WAEMU Commission,
- Mr. President of the Pan-African Parliament,
- Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations,
- Mr. President of the UN Human Rights Council,
- Madam Director-General of UNESCO,
- Madam Secretary General of the OIF,
- Ladies and Gentlemen Presidents of the media regulatory bodies of the 15 ECOWAS countries,
- Mr. President of the Francophone Network of Media Regulators,
- Mr. President of the Platform of Audiovisual Regulators of WAEMU member countries and Guinea,
- Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers of Communication of the 15 ECOWAS countries,
- Mr. Chairperson of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB),
Calls for the murder of journalists and opinion leaders, threats and intimidation of the national press, grotesque montages against journalists, suspension of international media RFI and France 24, expulsion of correspondents of the French newspapers Libération and Le Monde... Threats to freedom of expression and press freedom are very worrying in Burkina Faso. The measures taken by the authorities of that country, especially in recent months, are likely to call into question the fundamental right of citizens to be informed. Freedom begins where ignorance ends.
In Mali, too, pressure and intimidation against journalists and opinion leaders are increasing. From November to December 2022, Joliba TV was suspended by the High Authority for Communication (HAC), after the broadcast of an editorial deemed critical of the authorities. On 20 February 2023, the Maison de la presse in Bamako was ransacked. On 13 March, radio columnist Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, better known as Ras Bath, was charged and imprisoned for denouncing the "assassination" of former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga. On 15 March, Rokia Doumbia, known as "Rose vie chère", was arrested in turn for having communicated on the rise in prices and the "failure" of the transition. On 6 April, journalist Aliou Touré was abducted by armed and hooded men and was only found free four days later.
Here too, the international press is far from being spared. In February 2022, a reporter from Jeune Afrique was expelled from Bamako. And a month later, RFI and France 24 were cut off throughout Mali.
In Burkina Faso as in Mali, these attacks are increasingly relayed on social networks by "influencers" favorable to the military regimes of these two countries, who play vigilante and do not hesitate to threaten with death journalists and opinion leaders too independent in their eyes. Today, lies are added to violence. "The establishment of a regime of terror", as the Burkinabe daily L'Observateur Paalga writes, is accompanied by a wave of "fake news" that floods social networks with untruth. The first victims of these "influencers" are the Malian and Burkinabe populations, who are deprived of democratic debate.
In this period of serious security crisis in these two countries, journalists who play a crucial role in informing citizens are all aware of their responsibilities. They also understand the complexity of the political, geopolitical and military context. They are also experiencing and suffering the serious consequences of this security crisis. Like all citizens, they want a rapid return to peace. However, the fight against terrorism must in no way be used as a pretext to impose a new standard of information and to restrict the fundamental rights of the Malian and Burkinabe populations to seek and have access to information through professional and independent media.
In Burkina Faso, the situation of journalists has become so critical that even the regulatory institution is upset about it. In a statement published on March 29, 2023, the High Council of Communication (CSC) "notes with regret the recurrence of threats made against press organs and media actors". The CSC calls on the Burkinabe authorities to "take appropriate measures to ensure the safety of the media and journalists in the exercise of their profession". For his part, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was "deeply troubled" by the situation of the media in Burkina Faso. "In this time of transition, the protection of independent voices is more necessary than ever," he added.
On February 20, Alioune Tine, the UN independent expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, said he was "extremely concerned about the shrinking of civic space, freedom of expression and association" in Mali.
On the basis of all these elements, we, the signatories of this open letter,
- Urge the authorities of Mali and Burkina Faso to put an end to all measures that undermine press freedom.
- Note a lack of protection for the security forces and a silence on the part of the judiciary in the face of intimidation campaigns and death threats against journalists in both countries. While respecting the independence of the judiciary, we call on prosecutors and judicial police officers to be more responsive to these criminal law wrongdoings.
- Call on the authorities of both countries to guarantee the protection and safety of all media professionals subjected to threats, intimidation, harassment and physical attacks.
- Call on the authorities to conduct impartial, effective and independent investigations to shed light on abuses against journalists, identify those responsible and prosecute them.
- Call on both governments to respect the international obligations signed and ratified by States regarding freedom of expression and freedom of the press, in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
- Let us call on the national leaders and the pan-African and international bodies addressed by this open letter to support this approach at the highest level: access to information is a fundamental right of peoples. On this World Press Freedom Day, it is essential to defend and protect it.
SIGNATORIES
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