In Senegal, journalist Pape Alé Niang is now on bail. At the head of the site Dakar Morning, known for his critical positions towards power, he was first arrested on November 6, and had started a hunger strike to protest against his detention. The press associations that support him are still calling for the charges to be quashed. whimsical and political which weigh against the journalist. Is press freedom in danger in the country?
From our correspondent in Dakar,
It’s a first ” victoire for the Coordination of Press Associations (CAP), but this is not the end of the story “. Whether Pope Ale Niang is free, he remains prosecuted, in particular for ” disclosure of military documents likely to harm national defense ” and ” spreading fake news “. Since the beginning of this case, his case has mobilized national and international press organizations, civil society leaders, political figures and even the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights, Mary Lawlor.
“No to bullying”
Met during a support rally in Dakar, journalist Ouleymatou Diallo confided her concern: “ It is a fight of principle to support our colleague Pape Alé Niang, to say no to intimidation. Because today it’s him, but tomorrow it could be someone else. Until now I felt free, on a certain level, but today if I follow the path of Pape Alé Niang by choosing to do investigative journalism, then I think I will be threatened “. ” Certainly, Pape Alé Niang disturbs the power in place, believes Amadou Sabar Ba of the Convention of Young Reporters, we want press freedom to be a non-negotiable issue in Senegal. »
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What is reproached to Pape Alé Niang? The prosecutor justified the prosecution with ” repeated, unfounded and unacceptable attacks directed against the security forces ” or “ disclosure of defense secrets “. Among the publications targeted, according to the journalist’s lawyers, radio messages from the police and firefighters on the security system before the hearing ofOusmane Sonko in court at the beginning of November (the opponent is accused of repeated rapes by an employee of a massage parlour. He denounces a “ conspiracy “). Other problematic content: statements targeting the high commander of the national gendarmerie.
” Freedom of the press will never be threatened in this country. »
For the authorities, this is in no way an obstacle to the freedom of the press, which has “ always been guaranteed in Senegal “, assures Abdoul Aziz Diop, special adviser to President Macky Sall. ” Freedom of the press will never be threatened in this country. The profession is not targeted at all; 24 titles appear every morning in Dakar, 24 titles! You can be an opinion journalist. Never has a journalist been worried in this country for having related facts or even for having commented on them. “. But for Abdoul Aziz Diop, “ freedom of the press does not mean slanderous denunciation, does not mean the dissemination of false news, fake news. Freedom of the press does not mean attacking the defense and security forces. It is on proven facts, just and true, that we can base a journalism of general interest. »
Tense political climate before the 2024 presidential election
Nevertheless, this case has revived the debate on freedom of the press in Senegal, which has declined from 49th to 73rd place in the Reporters Without Borders ranking in 2022. Especially since the political climate is tense in view of the presidential election scheduled for February 2024, underlines Sadibou Marong, Africa director of RSF. ” In 2021, a media outlet was attacked by the followers of a religious leader. We saw, in March, hordes of young people going directly to attack newsrooms, we also saw journalists taken to task during political meetings, whether from the opposition or the presidential movement. This is very worrying, especially since 2023 is a pre-election year. We hope that Pape Alé can find his family, devote himself to his health, and that he can later resume his work. This is extremely important because it will help to reduce this tension, and this kind of dichotomy that we perceive when we talk about the media in Senegal, inside the country, in Africa or elsewhere in the world. »
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The judicial information on the Pape Alé Niang file has been completed since January 5, according to his defense which indicates that the judge will ” most likely » send the case back to the criminal court for judgment.