Paris, Conakry, 29 May 2024- In a tense political context, a worrying attack on freedom of expression took place in Guinea with the publication on 22 May 2022 of Decree No. 686 of 21 May 2024. This decree concerns the withdrawal of the authorisations for the installation and operation of the private radio and television stations owned by HADAFO MEDIA, DIOMA MEDIA and Frequence Media.
According to the Minister of Information and Communication, the author of the decree, and in accordance with the regulation in force in Guinea, this decision has been motivated by the non-respect of the specifications signed by these media groups.
"It’s the first time in Guinea this has happened since the liberalisation of the media sector in 2005. This liberticidal measure, violates the right to information, and is an obstacle to the freedom of the press and freedom of expression. We are very concerned about this", declared Drissa Traore, FIDH Secretary General.
Since November 2023, these media groups, which employ more than a hundred people in Conakry and across the country, have been under unprecedented pressure. Several media have had their frequencies jammed without any justification. Some of them had covered the Trial of the 28 September. They enabled thousands of people in Guinea and abroad, to follow the trial day by day.
The FIDH, its member organisations and partners, point out that the Republic of Guinea is party to most international and regional legal texts, which ensure freedom of the press and the freedom of expression. Moreover, the charter of the Transition, in its articles 8, 21, 23 and 24, calls for the strict respect of these rights and freedoms.
"We call on the transitional authorities to respect Guinea’s national, regional and international commitments on the protection of human rights, in particular the right to information and the freedom of expression", said Souleymane Bah, president of the OGDH.
The FIDH, its member organisations and partners are concerned by this decision, which comes seven months before the deadline set by the National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) and the ECOWAS for a return to the constitutional order in Guinea. They call on the government to create good conditions for the democracy and the rule of law.
"This decree is a regrettable step backwards in the democratic process and seriously hampers the right of citizens to access a free and independent press in Guinea", declared Frederique Loua, President of the MDT.